The modernization of the national labs and creation of a central accreditation body are the solutions identified by the Ministry of Economy for removing the barriers to the export of fruit, Deputy Minister of Economy Vitalie Iurcu said in a meeting with representatives of the Association of Fruit Producers and Exporters “Moldova Fruct”. The representatives of exporters informed about the problems they face, referring especially to the penetration of new markets, the necessity of promoting the Moldovan products abroad and international recognition of the results of the analyses carried out by national labs, IPN reports.
According to a press release of the Ministry of Economy, Vitalie Iurcu said the penetration of the new markets has always been a difficult process. The situation worsened especially after Russia imposed a ban on imports. The main solution in this regard is to ensure cooperation between the Association and the Moldova Investment Attraction and Export Promotion Organization.
As regards the international recognition of the results of national labs’ analyses, the solution is to meet a series of requirements such as the outfitting of labs with modern equipment, professional training of lab personnel, and accreditation of labs in accordance with the ISO17025 standard. This is a costly and long-lasting process. In this regard, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry initiated a process of reforming the system of labs.
Another subject raised by the Association’s representatives was the too high customs duties on exports to Egypt. The representatives of the Ministry of Economy said the discussions on the initiation of the negotiations on a possible Free Trade Agreement between Moldova and Egypt were opened at the end of 2015. The draft Free Trade Agreement is to be submitted to the Egyptian side for coordination.
Moldova’s exports of fresh fruit to the world market in 2015 totaled almost 205,000 tonnes. Moldova exports mainly to Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, the United Arab Emirates, Mongolia, Qatar, Turkey, Bangladesh and the EU Member States, to which a number of exports are duty free.
