The past plum season in Moldova was a challenging one compared to the season before it, due to weather conditions, says Zinaida Plamadeala, marketing manager for Moldovan fruit exporter PDG Fruct: "The Moldovan plum season typically runs from August to November, with Stanley being the dominant variety. Our orchards allow us to maintain a steady supply throughout this period, ensuring consistent quality and availability. The 2024 plum season was more challenging compared to 2023. Weather conditions had a significant impact on fruit quality, leading to lower overall volumes and increased sorting requirements. This made the season more difficult than the previous year, affecting both yields and export potential. Despite these challenges, demand remained stable in our key markets, and we focused on maintaining high-quality standards for our customers."
Recently, Moldovan plums have been exported to more and more markets, with a strategic focus on European countries, Plamadeala explains. "Over the past few years, our most important export destinations have been Austria, Italy, Germany, Romania, and Poland, with additional shipments reaching the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. The EU remains a strategic market for PDG Fruct, thanks to Moldova's duty-free access and compliance with European quality standards."
To make sure the plums from Moldova can be in a competitive spot, PDG Fruct did make investments to their packhouse, Plamadeala states: "To strengthen our operations, we have made significant investments in cold storage expansion, increasing our capacity by over 1,500 tons. We've also invested in modern sorting and packing lines, ensuring uniform quality and efficient processing. Finally, we've had our focus on renewable energy solutions, with our photovoltaic park helping to reduce costs and improve sustainability. These investments allow us to extend the shelf life of our plums and meet the stringent requirements of premium retail markets."
According to Plamadeala, exporting plums from Moldova has its own challenges that the company's had to overcome. "Exporting plums from Moldova comes with logistical and regulatory challenges, including high transportation costs. However, we've optimized our logistics network, by working closely with reliable transport partners. We strictly follow GLOBALG.A.P. and GRASP certifications, ensuring that our fruit meets EU regulations. Of course, we also have to deal with competition, but we differentiate through customized packaging, high fruit quality, and direct partnerships with major retailers."
PDG Fruct attended Fruit Logistica in Berlin and Plamadeale states it was a successful edition: "Fruit Logistica was an excellent opportunity for us to strengthen existing partnerships and establish new connections with buyers from across Europe. We wanted to expand into retail chains with direct supply agreements, showcase our commitment to sustainability and green energy in agriculture, and promote Moldovan plums as a premium product in competitive markets. We successfully achieved these goals, receiving strong interest from new clients and reinforcing Moldova's reputation as a high-quality plum supplier."
"The Moldovan plum sector is poised for sustainable growth in the next few years. We expect more investments in post-harvest infrastructure, improving storage and export logistics, greater market diversification, and reducing dependence on traditional buyers. We also expect increased collaboration between producers, leading to stronger branding and positioning of Moldovan plums in global markets," Plamadeala concludes.
For more information:
Zinaida Plamadeala
PDG Fruct
Tel: +373 69 748 665
contact@pdgfruits.com
www.pdgfruits.com