Moldova's grape harvest to be smaller than last year, prices to rise
Moldova's grape harvest is expected to be smaller than last year, with experts predicting a 15-30% drop in the yield of domestically grown grapes.
The National Office of Vine and Wine said that the harvest could be around 230-250,000 tonnes, down from 280,000 tonnes in 2022.
The lower yield is being attributed to the high temperatures and lack of rainfall in August, which damaged the grapes.
As a result, the price of grapes is expected to rise by around 30%, to over MDL 6 (about $0.25) per kilogram.
The director of the National Office of Vine and Wine, Elizaveta Breahnă, said that the high temperatures had also affected the quality of the grapes.
"In recent years, Moldova's wine sector has undergone a transformation and reached the highest level of development," said Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Vladimir Bolea. "However, there is still a lot of work to be done, including improving the connectivity between wineries and helping winegrowers to reach the same level of production as the wineries."
Moldova currently has 45,000 hectares of vineyards, and most of the vineyards are over 30 years old.
The government aims to increase the area of productive vineyards with wine varieties to 30,000 hectares by 2027.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
