Moldova saw an increase in the fruit and berry harvest during the past few years, but the Moldovan farmers cannot export their products owing to the Russian ban and to the oversupply on traditional export markets. In a conference, experts spoke about the necessity of diversifying the export markets and of orienting to countries where the population is growing, IPN reports.
Associate expert of the Farmers Federation of Moldova (FARM) Andrei Zbancă said the fruit growing sector develops swiftly, especially in the case of apples. The fruit production this year totaled about 530,000 tonnes. To facilitate the export of apples, the Government should sign free trade agreements not only with the EU and the CIS, but also with other states, such as India and the countries of Middle East where the population grows quickly. “Russia during the past few years increased domestic apple production and this tendency will be kept the next years. We should focus on the diversification of markets,” stated Andrei Zbancă.
Dmitri Dodica, national expert in berry production and postharvest technology, said berry production has increased significantly since 2016, from 9,600 tonnes to 11,600 tonnes in 2017. The annual production in 2018 is expected to be 15,000 tonnes. The strawberry and raspberry crops grew the most. The next years will be crucial and it is important to identify other export markets in the period.
FARM vice director Iurie Hurmuzachi said the larger fruit and berry harvest led to lower selling prices. “Overproduction determined the prices to decline not only in the Republic of Moldova, but all over the world. When there is oversupply, emphasis should be placed on quality,” he noted.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Moldova, the world apples market stagnates at a time when production grows. The apple harvest in Europe this year rose to +3.4 million tonnes, which is equal to 40 annual apple crops in Moldova. No shortage is anticipated on this market. At the same time, such countries as Russia, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Ukraine - current and former importers - started to cultivate the own fruit and oriented themselves to export.
As regards the fruit growing sector, the FAO said that even if the demand for apples on the foreign markets has increased, the situation is not much better. At the start of the season, cranberries in Europe cost 2-3 euro/kg, while in Moldova - 12 euros. Meanwhile the prices fell. The prices of high-quality raspberry in Ukraine during the past three years decreased from US$ 2 to 25 cents. The markets in Poland and Ukraine are oversupplied with blueberry. The producers in Moldova should focus on new markets, mainly in Asia and Africa, and should invest in new technology, popular sorts, quality and marketing.
According to the FARM data, about 220,000 tonnes of apples were exported in 2017, 96% of which to Russia. Most of the berry exports were also directed to the Russian market.
