Increasing the productivity and quality of table grapes, the need for advanced growing technologies, diversifying sales markets and obtaining higher incomes were the main topics examined within the Advisory Council, with the participation of producers from the branch and the management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry ( MAIA).
According to Gheorghe Gaberi, the head of the Moldovan Grape Producers and Exporters Association (APESM), currently, around three thousand tons of table grapes are stored in cold warehouses. In 2022, an amount of about 76 thousand tons was exported, and since the beginning of 2023, about six thousand tons had been delivered to the European Union and CIS markets.
“This year, the producers aim to become more competitive and pay more attention to the selection of grape varieties, to adapt their vineyards to the local growing conditions,” said Gaberi.
Minister of Agriculture Vladimir Bolea encouraged producers to associate and invest in high-performance systems, noting that winegrowers who wanted to modernize their businesses would be fully supported through subsidy mechanisms.
Annually, the Republic of Moldova produces over 100 thousand tons of table grapes. Currently, from the 13 thousand hectares cultivated with such grapes, about 8,000 are planted with the Moldova variety, and only about 100 ha are plantations established according to the Pergola system, which ensures high quality and productivity. (Moldpres/Business World Magazine)