The war in Ukraine has blocked Moldovan exports to many countries: exporters are looking for alternative markets for their products.
This issue was discussed at a meeting organized by the Investment Agency as part of the Export Morning program. The meeting discussed the most pressing issues faced by Moldovan exporters in the context of the regional crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. According to the agency, the economic crisis caused by the pandemic has become even deeper due to the energy crisis, high inflation at the global level and a war in a neighboring country. And although the total volume of exports to Russia, Ukraine and Belarus today is much lower than 5 years ago, 15% of Moldovan exports still go to these countries. Accordingly, a number of industries and individual manufacturers have encountered difficulties in reorienting the export of manufactured products. At the same time, the war in Ukraine practically blocked Moldovan exports and other destinations - the Baltic countries, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, etc., as goods went there in transit through Ukraine. Exporters have identified alternative routes, but they come with double transport costs. In addition, given that now absolutely all products are exported through the same checkpoints, the delivery time is quite long. The fresh fruit sector has suffered the most in this situation, where the main export markets are Russia and Ukraine, which account for 95% of fresh apple exports. Currently, 120,000 tons of fresh fruits remain in warehouses, as well as smaller volumes of table grapes and other fruits, for which alternative markets need to be found. Annually Moldova exports about 240 thousand tons of apples. Last year, 40 thousand tons of apples were not used, which were used for juice, and this year the stocks of apples in warehouses may be more significant due to lack of access to the market of Russia and the CIS countries. As a solution, options for cooperation are currently being discussed with partners in Romania who are ready to import a certain amount of apples. In the long term, the solution is to grow varieties that are in demand on the EU market. As a result of the meeting and negotiations with large exporting companies, it was decided to determine measures to mitigate the impact of the regional crisis on business. // 21.03.2022 — InfoMarket
