2024 has not been the most favorable year for Moldovan plum producers. According to orchardists, the lack of summer rainfall and record high temperatures have affected both the quantity and quality of the fruit. Additionally, market participants believe that the plum season in 2024 will end earlier than usual, reports EastFruit.
Fewer plums were harvested compared to last year, and the high temperatures accelerated ripening and impacted quality. Plum exports from Moldova began earlier this year, with 17.7 thousand tons exported in July-August. Exporters expect the plum export season from Moldova to be shorter, and the country will not reach the 2023 record of over 78 thousand tons of plums exported.
Climate change will continue to negatively impact fruit production, and weather conditions will not revert to those of ten years ago. In these circumstances, the winners will be producers who invest in crop protection, quality production, irrigation, controlled atmosphere storage systems, and who unite either through stable commercial cooperation or through membership in an industry association, writes MOLDPRES.
A representative of Eurogroup, a subsidiary of the world’s largest retailer REWE Group, recently visited Moldova as part of a trade mission organized by the PCRR project. One of his conclusions from the trip was: “Moldova has become an important player in the plum market in the European Union.”
“At this stage, it is extremely important for producers to establish quality control processes at all stages: pesticide residue control, harvesting at optimal times, constant control on the sorting and packaging line, guided by clear buyer specifications, final product control and sampling for inspection, etc. It is the responsibility of each company to avoid both financial and reputational losses for the entire sector,” says the Eurogroup representative.
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Situation in the EU Market
In Germany, plum production has been declining for the second consecutive year. The situation varies from region to region, but in most areas, frost during flowering and rain have resulted in a harvest below the ten-year average.
In Poland, frosts in April reached -11 degrees. Stone fruit losses ranged from 20% to 100%, which obviously caused a product shortage in the market. In normal years, Polish production almost fully meets local market demand.
Due to significant losses, in hopes of compensating for plum volumes, they turned to Serbia, North Macedonia, and Moldova. However, high temperatures this year affected the harvest period, leading to a situation where all plum-producing countries entered the market simultaneously, inevitably affecting prices.
Forecasts for the End of the Season
At the moment, the season for selling large volumes of Balkan plums has ended, last week saw the end of German plum sales, and this week marks the end of the Polish product season. Many Moldovan producers are storing their products in anticipation of market improvement, while continuing regular deliveries according to previously established schedules with retailers.
Given the lack of volumes, the early start of the sales season, and hidden product defects due to weather conditions in some regions, importers and traders predict an unusually early end to the plum sales season this year. According to various forecasts, the high-volume trading season for many companies will end by mid-October, whereas in normal years it lasts until the second or third week of November.
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