The European Union member states were the main destination for the Moldovan plums exported in the first eleven months of 2023 – 76%. Almost four times fewer plums were exported to the Eurasian Union – 19%. Another 5% of the exports went to other countries.
Contacted by IPN for details, executive director of “Moldova Fruct” Association of Fruit Producers and Exporters Iurie Fală said that about 60,000 tonnes of plums were exported to the EU, 15,000 tonnes to the Eurasian Union and 3,700 tonnes to other countries. The largest quantities of plums were exported to Romania (22%), Poland (16.2%), Germany (9.7%) and the Czech Republic (8.2%). Among countries of the Eurasian Union, plums went to Russia (11.3%), Kazakhstan (3.6%), Belarus (3%) and Kyrgyzstan (1.2%). Other countries that consumed Moldovan plums are: Bosnia and Herzegovina (3.3%), Macedonia (1%), Serbia (0.4%).
Compared to 2022, the volume of exported plums increased twice, from 37,000 tonnes in 2022 to 78,000 tonnes in 2023. Iurie Fală said that this year was good and fruitful for plums and exports were appropriate. Most of the plums were exported for consumption, the ratio being about 90% for consumption to 10% for processing. Most of the plums for processing went to Central European countries, to the Czech Republic and less to Romania.
The European Union bought plums at the highest prices – about US$ 590 per tonne. To the Eurasian Union, plums were sold for US$471 per tonne, while to other countries for US$ 406 per tonne.
Although there are no statistics, Iurie Fală estimated that about 20,000 tonnes of plums were sold on the Moldovan market, of which 8,000 tonnes were processed by canning factories.
As for the presence and sale of plums in store chains, the executive director of “Moldova Fruct” noted that the presence of fruit in general and plums in particular in stores depends on the demand for these in stores, the store policy (ed. note: national goods, for example), the offered price and other circumstances.
According to the EU Delegation in Chisinau, Moldova this year reached a record level of fresh plum exports, becoming the third leading exporter worldwide and an undisputed leader in Europe. At the same time, the Russian Federation on December 4 imposed a ban on the import of fruit and vegetables from Moldova because these allegedly contain a number of harmful insects that are prohibited in the states of the Eurasian Economic Union.
At the national conference “Fruit Business” held in early December, the members of “Moldova Fruct” asked that the state should become involved in solving the most pressing problems of the sector, including to ensure access to cheap loans, attract the resources available within EU programs, implement an irrigation sector development program based on sustainable water use management and ensure a predictable and fluid regime for crossing the land border with the European Union.
