The areas of orchards diminished compared with the situation 40 years ago because of the felling of old fruit trees. In a response to an inquiry made by IPN News Agency, the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment said the new orchards are smaller in area, but have higher productivity owing to the applied newest technologies and innovatory practices.
The Ministry quoted data of the National Bureau of Statistics, noting the orchards in Moldova in 1980 occupied 178,000 ha and the global fruit production was about 637,000 tonnes. In 2018, the orchards were 139,600 ha in area and the global fruit production was 894,200 tonnes. Even if the areas of orchards deceased, the crop rose by about 28.7%.
“This was mainly due to the state policies, including the mechanism for subsidizing investments and the eligible measures in the country’s agro-industrial sector,” said the Ministry.
Of the total area of 139,600 ha of orchards, 50,700 ha are owned by agricultural enterprises, 66,500 belong to peasant farmsteads, while 22,400 ha are privately owned by the population.
In 2018, the stone tree orchards represented 105,000 ha, the walnut tree orchards – 30,800 ha, whereas the plantations of fruit bearing bushes and strawberries – 3,800 ha.
The largest orchard areas are situated in northern Moldova (46,020 ha), followed by the central districts (37,460 ha) and the southern ones (17,920 ha). The rest of the orchards are located in the municipality of Chisinau and in ATU Gagauzia.
