Traders inform that since the pre-Easter week, the market for apples of export quality in Moldova has been stagnating due to the almost complete lack of demand in Russia. Only small batches of apples (mostly 70 mm + diameter) of the Golden Delicious, Jonagold and Granny Smith varieties were exported. Maximum wholesale prices for the last two varieties of the best quality nevertheless increased, but by only 0.5 MDL/kg average – up to 11.5-12 MDL/kg ($ 0.64-0.67/kg). This is certainly lower than it was expected.
However, the average wholesale prices for Moldovan apples of most varieties were about the same at the beginning of May last year, according to the EastFruit monitoring data. Their weak increase was also noted, except for the fact that prices for apples of low quality slightly increased in May 2020.
At the moment, producers and traders are mainly concerned about the almost zero demand for apples of a 65 mm caliber or less. Attempts to reduce the price do not help increase the volume of exports. The heads of large exporting companies agree with the findings of EastFruit analysts that Iranian apples are a serious competitor to Moldovan fruits in the cheap apples segment in the Russian market. They note that Russian partners do not promote the massive export of apples from Iran, but somehow “fruit producers from Stavropol and the North Caucasus, who finished the season and turned off their cold storage a month ago, have the product anyway”. The only reason for Moldovan producers and traders not to lose hope is the fact that their apples retain their quality longer than Iranian ones. As it becomes warm in mid-May, this will become increasingly important.
Moldovan apples of more than 70 mm diameter are sold better than small apples on the Russian market. At the same time, according to the heads of large horticultural enterprises, there are few high-quality apples left in their storage – hundreds of tons. By the beginning of June, such products will definitely be sold, although, not as expensive as exporters wanted.
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