Walnut prices have sharply increased in Moldova

There has been a rather sharp increase in prices for high-quality walnut kernels, by about 10-15 MDL/kg ($0.57-0.85/kg), since the beginning of the last decade of October in Moldova. Trading companies buy large light halves of kernels for exports to the European Union this week at a wholesale price of at least 110-120 MDL/kg ($6.28-6.85/kg). Large batches of American and French varieties of kernels are sometimes even purchased by traders at 125 MDL/kg ($7.13/kg). The maximum price level is already much higher than at the beginning of November last year (about 90 MDL/kg, $5.29/kg).

Nevertheless, according to the members of the Union of Association of Producers of Walnut Crops of Moldova (UAPCN), this is not the limit. They consider prices likely to rise to 140 MDL/kg ($8/kg) by  Christmas. The basis for optimism is the high demand for walnut kernels on the part of exporters and, most importantly, their willingness to raise purchase prices virtually every week.

In this regard, walnut producers note that given insufficient supply of nut kernels, traders began to accept large volumes of nuts in-shells for processing. Their wholesale prices began to rise this week: for in-shell nuts of unpopular local varieties, around 25-30 MDL/kg ($1.42-1.71/kg), the price for large dry in-shell nuts of such varieties as “Peschansky” and “Chandler” reaches 40-45 MDL/kg ($2.28-2.56/kg).

The management of the UAPCN organization believes that given high demand and rapidly growing wholesale prices, about 80-90% of the new walnut harvest will be sold by the end of 2021.