Approximately 85% of Moldovan plums are exported to the EU; the Russian market has lost its former significance – Veaceslav Ioniță
In the weekly program "Economic analysis with Veaceslav Ioniță," an expert from IDIS Viitorul noted that Germany, Romania, and Poland are just a few of the EU countries that have become traditional buyers of Moldovan plums, while dependence on Russia, once a traditional plum market, has become insignificant. The expert recalled that the EU previously granted Moldova certain preferential quotas to increase fruit exports amid the war in Ukraine. This allowed the country to increase its plum export potential and enter the top 10 largest global plum exporters, even reaching third place in 2023. However, the expert warns that in 2025, Moldova will no longer have the preferential quotas that previously enabled impressive export growth. "In September, 70% of all Moldovan plums are exported." "At the same time, our plum harvest season begins when it ends in other countries, including the EU. Thus, plum consumption in Europe is extended," the expert stated. Veaceslav Ioniță cites statistics on the decline in plum orchard acreage. For example, while 56,500 hectares of plum orchards were allocated to plums in Moldova from 1996 to 2000, now it's only 17,100 hectares. The expert sees great potential for growth and development in this sector. Despite the fact that 2024 saw the lowest harvest in the past 10 years, the largest volume of plums was exported. "For the first time in the country's history, in 2024, more plums were exported than were consumed locally. In the 2000s, Moldova exported only 3% of its plum harvest. Almost all plums grown in the country were intended for local consumption. "In 2024, 55% of the Moldovan plum harvest was exported," noted Veaceslav Ioniță. The economist claims that in 2023, Moldova exported 70,000 tons of plums thanks to incentives provided by the EU, after exporting only 29,000 tons in 2022. In 2024, despite the incentives, the harvest was small – 52,700 tons – but sold at a very favorable price. "When we exported less, as in 2022, less money came in. The paradox occurred in 2024, when export volumes decreased by 17,000 tons, but revenue increased by 10% – from $41 million to $44.5 million, reaching a historical maximum," the economist stated. The average export price of Moldovan plums increased from $0.24 per kg in 2015 to $0.84 per kg in 2024. The main countries consuming Moldovan plums in 2014 were: Germany with a share of 22.3%; Romania - 18.6%; Poland - 16.2%; Russia - 9.5%; the Netherlands - 6.2%. The remaining countries accounted for less than 4% of export deliveries. "Obviously, Germany is a market valued by Moldovan plum exporters: in addition to a large share of exports to this country (22.3% in 2024), there is also a good price. Romania is already a traditional market with a share of 18.6%. Poland also occupies an important place in the geography of exports of our farmers. The best price in 2024 was in the UK - $1.36 per kg, but the share of exports was only 2%," the expert concluded.// 19.09.2025 — InfoMarket.
