According to the latest estimations made by Moldova Fruct Association, in 2023, about 505 thousand tons of apples will be harvested. The previous forecast was for 548 thousand tonnes. However, due to the lack of rainfall in August and September, the initially forecasted volume did not materialize, Iurie Fala of Moldova Fruct states.
“By 1 November 2023, the processing industry had purchased around 250 thousand tons of apples. The processing sector's expectations rise to 270 thousand tons of processed apples from the 2023 crop. At the same time, about 50 thousand tons will be sold fresh on the local market.”
The production seems to be higher this year, compared to the last season. Fala emphasizes that last apple season there was a significant drought in Moldova: “The volume of exports from the 2023 fruit crop in the 2023/2024 sales season is estimated by the sector at 185 thousand tons, which is about 60 thousand tons more than what was exported of the 2022 fruit crop, a year in which Moldova experienced a severe drought.”
As the war in Ukraine continues, fewer apples are sent to the traditional CIS region. “The war in Ukraine and the Russian Federation's embargo on Moldovan fruit imports introduced in August 2022 have forced Moldovan apple exporters to intensify their efforts to identify new markets. The results achieved in these two years are already visible. In 2021, the CIS countries, including Russia, were the destination for 99 per cent of Moldova’s exported apples. Then, in 2022, that share dropped to 90 per cent, and in the first ten months of 2023 it fell to 85 per cent. The new export destinations are the Persian Gulf countries, EU countries, Africa and Southeast Asia,” Fala concludes.
For more information:
Iurie Fala (CEO)
Molodova Fruct
MD 2012 Chisinau (Moldova)
Tel: +373 222 23 005
Mob: +373 693 66 424
www.moldovafruct.md