Moldovan apple producers expect to export to India

The management of a big horticultural enterprises in Moldova met with Rahul Srivastava, Ambassador of the Republic of India to the Republic of Moldova (based in Bucharest), and discussed the prospects of apple exports to the Indian market. New requirements for the import of agricultural products to India were presented to the potential exporters. In particular, apple exporters must submit, among other documents, a certificate of the absence of GMOs in their products starting this year.

According to the operators of the Moldovan fruit market, this requirement will not become an obstacle to the apple supplies for the Indian market. The National Agency for Food Safety, ANSA assured that the agency could provide certificates of the non-transgenic nature of the exported fruits. In this regard, it should be noted that genetically modified apples are not grown either in Moldova or in neighboring countries.

Moldova officially received the clearance to export apples to India on favorable phytosanitary conditions in fall 2018. Since then, Moldovan horticultural and trading companies have made several attempts to export apples to the Indian market. As the exporters noted, these attempts were not successful and “there was a mistake made on the temperature in the export chain.”

Experts of fruit producers’ associations note that red, shiny (with a clear wax film), hard, sweet and rather small apples are popular in eastern markets, including Indian. Gala, Red Chief, Fuji and, to a lesser extent, Florina varieties are in demand. In Moldova, these and similar varieties account for no more than 10% in the structure of intensive and super-intensive apple orchards.

At the beginning of the new season, the Indian side is ready to accept 10 containers of Moldovan apples as a trial batch under enhanced monitoring. If this “test” is passed successfully, large-scale and regular exports will become possible.