At the end of last week and at the beginning of this week, reduction of strawberries price continued in Moldova – wholesale berries fell on average by another 4-6 MDL/kg to 20-27 MDL/kg ($ 1.27-1.51/kg). In retail, the difference between the minimum and maximum price levels increased to 20-40 MDL ($ 1.27-2.25/kg). Berry market operators believe strawberry prices will be unstable, depending on many random factors at least until the end of this week.
The Association of Berry Producers Pomușoarele Moldovei notes that there was an important prerequisite for stabilization and even a slight increase in wholesale prices for high quality strawberries in the second half of last week. Some agricultural enterprises have started exporting strawberries to the Russian Federation. Normally, this reduces the pressure on the domestic market – the supply of high-quality berries to the city markets somewhat reduces, and prices rise.
However, strawberry harvesting is slow this year due to almost daily rains. In some areas, berry producers again face the challenge of hiring a sufficient number of workers. In addition, the harvested strawberries are often wet and dirty and require pre-export preparation. As a result, the volume and rate of export of strawberries are not yet high. The domestic market has not been reorganized yet to ensure the export trade flow. Stable prices for strawberries have not yet been formed. This is aggravated by the fact that some strawberry growers agree to ship their products to the exporting traders on a deferred settlement basis – after strawberries are sold to end buyers abroad.
Meanwhile, the quality of strawberries and the timing of their sale in the commercial chain are being reduced due to continuous rainfall. This explains, in particular, the wide range of retail prices for local berries. At the same time, as noted in the association Pomușoarele Moldovei, the yield of strawberries of several varieties, in particular the popular variety Marmalade, can be relatively high.
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