Moldova's wine exports soar 34% in first 7 months of 2023
Moldova's wine exports surged 34% in the first seven months of 2023, compared to the same period of 2022, according to the National Wine Office of Moldova.
In total, Moldovan winemakers exported over 70 million litres of wine to 57 countries around the world, said Elizaveta Breahnă, the interim director of the National Wine Office. Of this amount, over 21 million litres were bottled wine and approximately 50 million litres were bulk wine.
"For this year, a grape harvest is expected with a yield of 6-14 tons per hectare, and an estimated 260,000 tons of grapes will be processed," Breahnă said. "If we refer to exports, the data from the first seven months of this year shows that we have a significant increase compared to the same period of 2022. In total, the increase is 34%, which is 70.9 million litres of wine."
The wine sector is a strategic branch of the Moldovan economy, and farmers and the government should work together to achieve even better results, said Vladimir Bolea, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry.
"We are a country recognized globally as a producer of quality wines, so this is due to the work you have done and the fact that we have been supported in the development of this sector by our partners," Bolea said. "We will continue to maintain this title of a country producing quality wines and to further develop our production and export process, because Moldova, as a market, is too small for the amount of good wine we produce. We are focused on developing partnerships. You have to create cooperatives, you have to create business plans, and we have subsidy programs, attracting funds, support, and promotion at the international level."
Meanwhile, Janis Mazeiks, the European Union ambassador to Moldova, said that Moldovan products, especially grapes and wine, are appreciated on the European market.
"In 2022, the European Union ensured the complete liberalisation of trade in Moldovan agricultural products, including table grapes and grape juice. In the same year, the number of companies exporting to the EU increased to 2,044. The European Union remains Moldova's main trading partner, with 70% of exporting companies delivering to the EU," Mazeiks said.
According to the National Wine Office of Moldova, Romania is the leading destination for Moldovan wines, accounting for 21% of total exports. In the first seven months of 2023, the value of bottled wine exports to Romania was over $15 million, up 13% from the same period last year. Romania is followed by Ukraine, with exports of approximately $7 million, and Poland and the Czech Republic.
