According to the Moldova Fruct Association, by the beginning of December, about 78 thousand tons of fresh plums from the 2023 harvest were exported from Moldova to 31 countries around the world. Countries of the European Union imported almost 60 thousand tons of these plums. This an all time record of plum exports and an all time record if shipments to the EU, according to EastFruit analysts.
In 2022, about 37 thousand tons of plums have been shipped by Moldovan growers and traders to 22 countries of which 24 thousand went to the EU. In 2021 exports reached 53 thousand tons of which 27 thousand tons to the EU.
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In December 2023exports of Moldovan plums continued but mostly to Romania. Many experts believe, that plum exports at the end of 2023 most likely will by just shy of 80 thousand tons. According to market operators, there are still plums in fruit storage facilities, and in considerable quantities – many hundreds, but hardly thousands of tons. On the other hand, these products are dispersed across a significant number of storage facilities and, importantly, are represented mainly by fruits of Chinese-Japanese varieties. In late autumn and winter, such plums sell well on the domestic market of Moldova.
During this period, plums of Chinese-Japanese varieties are already standardly present on the shelves of supermarkets and in boutique retail in Chisinau, and are usually offered for more than $2-3/kg. The average consumer no longer perceives such a plum as an exotic fruit, but many consider it an exclusively imported product, which is not the case in most cases. However retailers do not always try to refute this stereotype by indicating Moldova on the labels as the country of origin, probably believing that the imported status adds additional value to the product.
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