Moldova is stepping up apricot exports to the EU in 2021

According to expert estimates, the share of EU countries in the export structure of Moldovan apricots will increase to about 80-85% this year. Earlier EastFruit reported that in 2020 Moldova exported approximately 2 thousand tons of apricot. About half of it was sent to Ukraine, whereas only a little more than a hundred tons were sent to the EU.

The experts of the “Effective Agriculture of Moldova” project ARM/USAID believe that by the successful use of marketing tools of the “pandemic period” played a significant role in the reorientation of the Moldovan apricot export to the European market. Because of the limitations of traditional business contacts due to COVID-19 the fruit growers’ associations, supported by the project, have developed a series of online tours to the farms and post-harvest infrastructure of large agricultural companies in Moldova. Thanks to this, as well as to the certification of fruit-producing enterprises under GLOBAL G.A.P. and GRASP standards, these enterprises have significantly increased the export of apricots to the EU market this year. In particular, horticultural and trading companies from Moldova began to supply fresh apricots in large volumes to Germany for the first time.

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In addition, some horticultural enterprises started exporting apricots to Hungary. Their leaders note that 70-80% of apricot orchards in this country have suffered from spring frosts this year. Moldovan apricots, although exported to Hungary fresh, is mostly redirected for processing – the production of distillate (apricot schnapps). In addition, Moldovan growers hope to increase the supply of late-ripening dessert apricots to the Romanian market.

The apricot harvest from 3.8 thousand hectares of fruiting plantations amounted to about 6.5-8 thousand tons last year in Moldova. In 2021, according to expert forecasts, the harvest will be at least 10-12 thousand tons.