Fewer wine companies are purchasing grapes

Fewer wine-making companies in Moldova are purchasing grapes from agricultural producers. So far, only 80 of the registered 140 wine production companies, license-holders in the field, have ordered grape supplies, in contrast to last year’s 95 companies. The head of the Agro-Industrial Agency Moldova-Vin, Valeriu Mironescu stated that wine-making companies have processed thus far more than 76 thousand tonnes of grapes, and more than 10 thousand were exported, mainly to Ukraine. Companies are purchasing grapes at the price of 2. – 3 lei/kg for white varieties and 3.3–3.6/kg – for red and black varieties. According to the director of the Agency, the prices are lower, “as the financial possibilities of the companies are also limited”. The majority are paying in instalments, with the first instalment varying from 25 to 60%. Mironescu promises that by the end of the month the debt of 3-4 million lei owed by some wine companies for last year’s purchase of grapes will be paid off. According to Mironescu, over the past week, companies paid debts totalling 12 million lei, while for other 8 million lei several spread out payments agreements were established. Mironescu explains the existing debt as being a cause of the fact that last year the agency obliged a couple of companies to purchase Izabella grapes. The wine however remained in stock, leaving some enterprisers with reduced financial capacities. The total production of grapes is now 105 thousand tonnes, while the average yield is 3.5 tonne per hectare. Better yields were obtained in the districts of Calarasi, Cantemir, Straseni, Causeni, Stefan Voda, Ialoveni – from 3.6 to 5.3 tonnes per hectare.