In 2024, the berry market in Moldova was estimated at 838 million lei – twice as much as in 2020, but 20% less than in 2022
Last year, berries worth 466 million lei were sold on the local market, 260 million lei were imported products, 69 million lei were exported berries, and 43 million lei were exported frozen berries. These figures were provided by Veaceslav Ionita, an economic policy expert at IDIS Viitorul. According to him, exports of frozen berries have grown several times since 2020. As for the export of fresh berries, the highest volume was recorded in 2021, at $4.7 million, and in 2024, this figure decreased to $3.9 million. The main berries exported are strawberries and raspberries. Over the past five years, Russia (with a share of 41.4%), Poland (32.6%), Romania (18.6%), Belarus (3.9%), and Serbia have been among the top five countries to which Moldova has exported berries. The share of other countries was up to 1.4%. Veaceslav Ionita notes that the berry industry is relatively new to Moldova's economy, but it is promising, with a trend toward growth in frozen berry exports and increased consumption in the domestic market. "The only problem is that the season for local consumption lasts only three months, and Moldovan citizens have not yet learned how to freeze berries. Thus, consumption during the cold season is covered by imports of berries. In 2024, Moldova imported berries from countries such as Greece, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, Peru, Azerbaijan, Chile, North Macedonia, Serbia, Colombia, and others. He noted that the berry industry has developed and become particularly important for Moldova's economy since 2015. Today, the following types of berries are grown in Moldova: strawberries – 61.9%; raspberries – 32%; currants – 4%; sea buckthorn – 0.4%; blackberries – 0.3%; gooseberries – 0.2%; other berries – 1.2%. At the same time, the area of land occupied by berries is 2.5 times larger than in the 1990s: while berries then occupied 85% of agricultural land, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, berries ceased to be grown on an industrial scale, and today about 70% of the area occupied by berries is cultivated by the population. The expert claims that until 2015, Moldovans consumed five times less berries than they do now, and 50% were imported due to their absence on the local market. In recent years, local berry production has increased tenfold, and today 80% of all berries consumed by Moldovans are locally produced. The rest are imported, especially out of season, and these are mainly berries that cannot be grown in Moldova. Veaceslav Ionita noted that during the Soviet period, Moldovans consumed 400 grams of berries per capita per year. In 2023, they consumed 9.8 kg per capita, and in 2024, due to a poor agricultural year, 8.8 kg per capita. According to expert estimates, domestic consumption of berries per capita will grow even more in 2025 and exceed 10.5 kg. // 06.06.2025 — InfoMarket
