Apricots from Moldova to be exported to more EU countries

Chisinau, 20 July /MOLDPRES/ - The efforts of promotion, made by Moldovan fruit producers as a result of the pandemic travel restrictions this year, allowed, for the first time ever, exporting Moldovan apricots to more European Union member states. Thus, more fruit growers assisted by the Moldova Fruct Association and the High Value Agriculture Activity in Moldova project of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID’s HVAA) already supply such fruits to Germany, France and Hungary.    

At the same time, talks are held on the export of Moldovan apricots to the Netherlands.

According to a USAID HVAA marketing specialist, Tatiana Burca, the export of apricots to the EU market at an attractive price, both for consumption in fresh state and for processing, is due to a complex approach to the new conditions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.  

”Simultaneously with the continuous assistance provided by the project to fruits producers as to the improvement of production technologies, the post-harvesting ones and implementation of such international standards as GLOBAL G.A.P. and GRASP, we launched a strategy of promoting Moldovan fruits in EU. Webpages of presentation and virtual tours were elaborated for the enterprises prepared for export, online commercial missions and B2B meetings were organized with diverse European importers; articles were published on media specialty platforms, assistance was provided on the export procedures in EU,’’ Tatiana Burca said.    

Even if in 2020, a small quantity of apricots was exported to Romania, Poland and Lithuania, the potential of export of Moldovan apricots to EU has not been turned to good account and 85 per cent of the deliveries of apricots produced in Moldova is directed to the market of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Although the apricot is a promising fruit with high potential of sale on export markets, in Moldova, the apricot orchards occupy only 4.75 thousand hectares, of which 3.8 thousand hectares are on harvest, placed mostly in the southern, southeastern and central regions. The harvest got in 2020 was of 6.5 thousand tons, of which 2,000 tons were exported.   

photo: USAID