Vine yards to be monitored by drones in Moldova

Chisinau, 26 July /MOLDPRES/ – The vineyards of Moldova will be monitored by drones equipped with video cameras, which will detect the outbreak of the disease and will allow punctual intervention. The monitoring will be carried out within the FlaveDor project, implemented by the National Vine and Wine Office (ONVV), together with its strategic partner, the Moldova Competitiveness Project financed by the US Agency for International Development and the Government of Sweden.

The project will be applied on four experimental lots and will be expanded to larger areas depending on the results. The risk of grapevine diseases is a major one, as diseases are spreading rapidly, being more difficult to treat and can result in crop loss of up to 80 per cent. Over the past five years, vine diseases have spread rapidly, affecting about 20,000 hectares or 20 per cent of all plantations in Moldova, according to ONVV.

The first results of the implementation of FlaveDor program, as well as of the Grapes of Quality and Terroir projects were presented on 24 July by the demonstrative-experimental group Mircesti in Ungheni district, the highest point in Moldova where the vine is grown 292 metres above sea level and one of the most exemplary in behaviour, compared to all the work done. The Quality Grape project aims to disseminate good practices in viticulture, and Terroir implies the traceability of wines and the registration of the Protected Designation of Origin Association in the Purcari region, Leova.

 "The bottled wine exports to the EU and Asia are 70 per cent, which is a significant achievement. But all these markets demand high quality wine, which is largely dictated by the quality of grapes and grapes harvested. USAID supports the introduction and implementation of the most modern wine-making practices, as it helps to increase the quality of the entire industry," said Daniel Thomson, head of the Economic Growth Department, USAID Moldova's mission.

The launching of the projects, on one hand, stimulates the demand for Moldovan wine which is constantly increasing on foreign markets, and on the other hand, vineyards in Moldova suffer a period of decline due to diseases.

The ONVV and the Moldova Competitiveness Project will create a network for local agricultural development and will advise all three Protected Geographical Indicated Areas in order to ensure the cultivation of a quality harvest to guarantee the sector sustainability and correspond to the demands of the target – market of selling the Moldovan wine.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor L. Alcaza)