Surveys of farmers conducted by the Moldovan team EastFruit show that due to a sharp rise in the cost of production resources and high uncertainty of access and pricing conditions of the main sales markets, horticultural enterprises, even of a high agro-technological level, intend to significantly reduce the use of plant protection products this year. First of all, this applies to expensive insecticides. Moldovan farmers hope to replace them with preventive measures and oil-based preparations.
Experts in the field of plant protection are ambivalent about such plans of growers. On one hand, due to long periods of rainfall, the effectiveness of protective measures in the orchards was low last year, farmers had to sharply increase the number of sprayings. This increased the risks of excess pesticide traces in fruits. And it is a great success for Moldovan exporters that there were no complaints from European buyers due to the identified pesticide residues in Moldovan fruits in 2021. On the other hand, in the last year’s weather conditions, the quality of products in farms that refused intensive crop protection from diseases and pests also did not meet the requirements of the “fresh market”.
The spring of 2022 still differs much from last year in terms of rainfall. If it is dry and warm in April-May, then good conditions for pollination and a normal phytosanitary background may form in Moldova for the first time in the last few years.
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