Plums produced in Gagauzia to be exported to EU

Chisnau, 23 September /MOLDPRES/- Fresh plums produced in Gagauzia were exported to the Netherlands for the first time this year. The manufacturing company is certified according to GLOBALG.A.P standards.

The company from Gagauzia produces different varieties of plums. Two years ago, thanks to the support of the USAID High-Value Agriculture in Moldova Project (USAID APM), it became the first agricultural enterprise in the region with a plum and grape packaging line, which allows it to sort and calibrate fruits according to buyers' requirements.

Vera Iabanji, the company's director, claims that fresh plums were usually sold in CIS countries. "This year we tried to diversify the export market and we want to expand our presence in other EU countries, not only with plums, but also with our grapes. Due to the modern production and post-harvest technologies implemented in the household and the holding of the international certificate for confirming the harmlessness of the fruits, we were able to deliver plums according to the buyers' requirements. At the same time, we agreed with the Dutch importing company to ship table grapes of the Codreanca variety for testing ", said Iabanji.

According to official data, in the Republic of Moldova are registered about 23 thousand hectares of plums, of which 700 ha in ATU Gagauzia. Moldova annually produces about 90 thousand tons of plums. In 2019, thanks to the efforts of the USAID APM project, Moldovan plums began to be exported to new markets in the EU such as Germany, Austria, France. In 2020, plums exported to the EU accounted for more than 50 percent of the total value of plums traded on the foreign market.

Photo: USAID APM