Moldova Fruct Association is calling on the authorities to declare state of emergency and take urgent measures as Moldova's fruit sector is on the brink of collapse, with losses in most of the frost-affected areas exceeding 70% of the expected harvest
As noted in a statement by Moldova Fruct Association, after orchards in almost all regions of the country were hit by two waves of severe frosts in April and hail at the end of May this year, the Association is calling on the government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry to declare a state of national disaster in agriculture. The Association draws attention to the heavy losses suffered by farmers and calls for the urgent implementation of a set of measures to support the fruit sector. Moldova Fruct's official appeal was sent on May 23 to Prime Minister Dorin Recean and Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Ludmila Catlabuga in connection with two waves of severe frosts (April 7-11 and April 28-29) and hailstorms on May 19-20, which severely damaged apple orchards in most regions of the country. According to Moldova Fruct, these extreme weather events, which occurred during the critical period of the phenological phases of vegetation, flowering, and fruit formation, led to significant losses in the country's horticulture and affected, in particular, cherry, sour cherry, apricot, peach, plum, pear, and apple orchards. According to preliminary estimates, losses from spring frosts in most of the affected areas exceed 70% of the expected harvest, and in some regions reach 90-100%. Producers will have to bear the costs of maintaining satisfactory phytosanitary conditions in orchards in 2025 and ensuring fruiting in 2026, which are estimated at 835.65 million lei. These costs cannot be covered by sales revenues and threaten the economic viability of orchards and fruit exports from the country. According to preliminary data collected by the Moldova Fruct Association, the following sensitive species were most affected by the frosts: apricots - losses of 97.25% (77.510 million lei); cherries - 88.65% (78.366 million lei); plums - 79.24% (333.678 million lei); peaches - 79.1% (122.186 million lei); sour cherries - 69.65% (78.366 million lei); apples - estimated at 51.8% and recently exacerbated by hail. In this regard, Moldova Fruct calls on the Moldovan government to declare a state of national disaster throughout the country; to immediately and transparently complete the damage assessment by territorial commissions; to urgently issue force majeure certificates for affected farmers; to distribute compensation funding based on the model of European Union countries; simplify tax procedures for affected farmers (use of VAT from accounts); compensate excise duties on diesel fuel used in agriculture; fully repay debts on agricultural insurance subsidies; allocate funds from EU support to repay debts on subsidies and finance support measures. As noted by Moldova Fruct, examples from Lithuania, where a state of emergency was recently declared, as well as Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary show that immediate state support in such situations is crucial to saving the fruit sector, preserving jobs in rural areas, and protecting fruit exports. For this reason, the Association considers these intervention models worthy of application in Moldova. // 30.05.2025 — InfoMarket
