The rise in the price of mandarins in the Moldovan market started in the last week of November. Wholesale mandarin prices increase weekly by 1-2 MDL/kg, and their growth became faster by mid-December, EastFruit experts report. According to wholesalers, prices for mandarins are most likely not to stabilize at the current level of 25 MDL/kg average ($1.29/kg). They will rise for at least another week before the hypothetical pre-holiday sales start.
Usually, citrus fruits in Moldovan retail chains rise in price by 10-15% from the first to the third week of December. Retail prices for mandarins are rising more than for oranges, pulling wholesale prices up. In part, fruit market operators attribute this circumstance to a tradition: mandarins are perceived as “more New Year’s fruits than oranges, the demand for which is more stable in autumn-winter.”
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In addition, mandarins from the end of autumn and almost all winter in Moldova are usually cheaper than oranges. However, the prices for these two main citrus fruits in the wholesale and retail markets of Chisinau became almost equal last week. It is worth mentioning that both in bazaars and in supermarkets, with a minimal difference in prices, the quality of oranges is visually better than mandarins. The highest-quality mandarins are already more expensive than oranges of medium quality (caliber).
An important factor is that the war in Ukraine accelerated and intensified changes in supply routes and the distribution of market shares between suppliers. Since the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the share of Turkish citrus fruits on the Moldovan market has slightly decreased, while the share of European ones (Greece, Spain) has increased. Most of the citrus fruits come to Moldova through Romania this year. Probably, that is why the prices for citrus fruits in the Moldovan market in December of this year are already 20-25% higher than last year.
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