Moldova beekeepers face collapse in exports due to low prices
The export price of bee honey has dropped by over 70% this year, according to the Association of Bee Products Exporters from the Republic of Moldova. The president of the association, Vitalie Popa, said that the price drop is due to a number of factors, including full stocks of bee honey in European countries and a decrease in honey productivity in Moldova.
Popa said that the average price for a kilogram of bee honey this year is 1 euro and 85 cents, compared to 3 euros and 30 cents last year. He added that no honey from the 2023 harvest has been exported from Moldova so far, and that the volume of honey exported this year is lower than last year.
The president of the National Association of Beekeepers from the Republic of Moldova, Ion Maxim, echoed Popa's concerns, saying that beekeepers are in a "collapse" in terms of exports. He said that the yield of honey bees has decreased by up to 20% this year, and that the export prices are too low.
However, not all beekeepers are experiencing the same problems. Some beekeepers say that they have had a bountiful harvest this year, while others say that their honey productivity has decreased.
The Bee Products Exporters Association says that Moldovan bee products have been exported to more than 24 countries of the world in the last 15 years. It is unclear how the price drop will affect future exports.
