In the Moldovan fruit market, a local apple of summer varieties appeared in the middle of last month, and at once in a reasonably large quantity and a relatively wide variety assortment. The 2023 season of early apple sales in the country started about a week earlier than last year but at about the same starting price level – 8-9 lei/kg ($0.44-0.45/kg). This is one of the highest indicators of the first wholesale prices for a summer apple in Moldova over five years (the starting price was higher only in the dry and pandemic 2020 – $ 0.7 / kg), reports EastFruit.
In July of this year, the summer apple on the Moldovan market is getting cheaper more slowly than in this month of last year. The average wholesale price for these fruits the previous month decreased by 1-2 lei per week to 5-6 lei/kg ($0.33-34/kg). Moreover, a big difference between wholesale and retail prices still remains: retail prices for apples, depending on the variety, state of ripeness, and caliber, can be two to three times higher than wholesale prices.
Fruit-growing organizations note that the summer apple in Moldova is mainly a product of domestic consumption, the local “fresh market” (sometimes it is also accepted for processing by the factory, but not in the last two years). In July of this year, the Moldovan summer apple is periodically sent to the Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Russian markets in small batches as an assortment product – along with stone fruits. As farmers say, if they carefully pick summer apples at the optimal ripeness period, then the price for it under direct contracts with foreign retailers can be pretty good.
