Fruits producers from Moldova to be able to organize virtual excursions for visitors

Chisinau, 18 November /MOLDPRES/ - Eleven producers of fruits and grapes from Moldova can organize excursions to their farms, advanced orchards and vineyards, due to virtual tours, created at an initiative by the Moldova Fruct Association, with the support of the High Value Agricultural Activity in Moldova project of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The virtual tours have become a solution in full pandemic of COVID-19, when the participations in international exhibitions and commercial missions were suspended.   

Eleven producers of fruits members of Moldova Fruct, selected based on contest, benefited from virtual tours. ‘’The tours are made up of panoramic and video pictures, which show the entire horticultural structure of each enterprise separately, beginning from production, and ending with harvesting, sorting and packing. Foreign buyers, as well as any interested consumer can virtually watch the super intensive orchards of local producers, modern frigorific warehouses, halls for sorting and packing, which belong to those 11 farmers,’’ Moldova Fruct sources said.   

The virtual tours will be subsequently intensively promoted by Moldova Fruct on the external market, being integrated in the commercial bids, which will be presented at diverse international trade events.   

At the launch event, the head of the USAID mission in Moldova, Scott Hoklander, said that Moldova Fruct’s initiative titled, Know Your Exporter!, would facilitate the creation of market relations through virtual tours. ‘’Although the Internet is an important instrument for promotion, it is essential that the Moldova Fruct members further show excellence in communication, guarantee the quality of products and integrity. USAID is confident that this digital marketing solution can be used as model for other sectors as well,’’ Scott Hoklander said.   

„In the virtual space, we have at our disposal short time to create a positive impression and arouse the curiosity of a potential buyer, who looks into computer somewhere in Europe, Asia or Middle East and has no knowledge about Moldova or its fruits with special taste. This is a particularly difficult task, which we can now fulfill with the help of everybody,’’ the Moldova Fruct executive director, Iurie Fala, said.   

Buyers interested in Moldovan fruits will be able just with a single click to make a visit to producers’ orchard, see the infrastructure of the plantation, know the range of fruits it produces, the varieties and the post-harvesting facilities at the farm.   

In the last years, the fruits production sector has witnessed a vertiginous development, both in terms of implementing the most modern production technologies, and GlobalG.A.P./GRASP, ISO 22000 certification. In the context, the fruits produced in Moldova can compete with the ones produced in EU and virtual tours elaborated represent an instrument of persuading an as large as possible number of buyers that we are competitive and can cope with the requirements.  

„As usual, we participate in all international exhibitions where the Moldova Fruct association has stand. We are aware of how important the qualitative production of fruits is; yet, their professional promotion is equally important. Because of the pandemic, this year, we were able to participate only in WorldFood Moscow. Now, that we have the virtual tour, we can use it as a professional promotion instrument, include them in our site and social networks, as well as to submit them to potential partners,’’ the manager of the Elit Fruct Ltd company, Vitalie Caimacan, said.      

The virtual tours can be found on the website of the association: https://moldovafruct.md/map/. On the next period, Moldova Fruct will work out tours also for other fruits producers.  

Photo: Moldova Fruct