The sales of the first Moldovan strawberries will start during the Easter week

Will the first Moldovan strawberries ripen by the Easter holidays? There were doubts about this due to two cold waves in late March – early April. However, according to the Pomușoarele Moldovei Association of Berry Producers, some producers of early greenhouse strawberries have decided to heat their greenhouses. The mechanism for compensating part of the costs of farmers for energy facilitated this. As a result, early strawberry growers will have time to take advantage of increased consumer demand for expensive food products, including exotic fruits and early local strawberries.

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Imported (Greek and Turkish) strawberries became available on the Moldovan market in a relatively large volume in mid-March. Probably due to a considerable number of offers and very limited demand for the first spring strawberries, their prices decreased by 20-25% from the starting level of 80-85 MDL/kg ($4.44-4.72/kg) by the end of last month. However, after the first massive March imports, there were visually fewer imported strawberries in the fruit and vegetable markets of Moldovan cities in April. The average price for imported strawberries did not fall below 60 MDL/kg ($3.30/kg), as it was in early April 2022 and 2021. Moreover, due to the “strengthening” of the Moldovan lei (MDL), the price of Turkish strawberries even rose in dollar terms by $0.01-0.02/kg last week, EastFruit reports.

For Moldovan producers of greenhouse strawberries, this is a positive signal. Usually, the first local berries grown in greenhouses are offered to Moldovan consumers at a price 20-25% higher than the imported ones. If strawberries of the first harvest are sold during the Easter week, the price increase may be even higher. This means that in the case of online orders and targeted delivery, the first Moldovan strawberries in 2023 will probably be offered at more than 100 MDL/kg.