In order to compete with grape producers from other countries, Moldovan grape growers need to diversify their assortment according to consumer demand, USAID said.
This was touched upon at a seminar organized by the Association of Producers and Exporters of Table Grapes of Moldova and the Institute of Horticulture and Food Technologies, in partnership with the USAID-funded project "High Value Agriculture in Moldova," which discussed interest in seedless varieties of grapes on the international market. In this context, President of the the Association of Producers and Exporters of Table Grapes of Moldova, Gheorghe Gaberi, stated that Moldova has too small areas planted with seedless varieties of table grapes, which does not even allow them to be marketed locally. Andrei Botezatu, expert of the USAID-funded project "Efficient Agriculture in Moldova", has pointed out that out of the total area of table grape varieties in Moldova, which is about 20,000 ha, maximum 30 ha are planted with seedless varieties. Winegrowers in their turn pointed out that tests of intensive systems for table grapes production such as Pergola or Gable, have shown very good results in different regions of Moldova - the grapes are of high quality, with yields of about 35-40 tons per hectare. The winegrowers believe they need to develop further in this direction in order to be competitive. In this context, the USAID expert noted that seedless varieties of grapes such as Kishmish Radiant, Apiren Pink, and Autumn Royal have commercial prospects, provided that the research and private sectors, supported by development partners, implement modern technologies for the production of these table varieties. // 21.10.2022 - InfoMarket
