First Moldovan apples are exported to India
Moldovan apples are being exported to the Indian market. The first commercial delivery has set off for Mumbai, India, from the village of Bilicenii Vechi, Singerei district. The fruits will reach their destination in three months at most. According to the authorities, the Indian market is one of the biggest with approximately 1.4 billion consumers and a large export potential.
The first batch of Moldovan apples to be exported to India will be delivered by farmer Valeriu Matcovschi, who takes care of 25 hectares of orchard in the Rîșcani district and produces over 1,800 tons of apples annually. He started his activity in 2011, and a year later he made his first exports. The farmer has several refrigerators where the fruit is stored and a packing house in the village of Bilicenii Vechi, Sângerei district. He says he worked hard to ensure that Moldovan apples reached India.
On the local market, they are practically not sold. A very small percentage is sold, and why? However, over 95% is exported. The orchard and refrigerator are certified according to the European Global Gap and ISO 22000 standards.
The Indian market offers significant opportunities for Moldovan producers due to the high demand for quality fruits. Expanding exports to this country diversifies target markets and contributes to the stability of the horticultural sector, says the executive director of the Moldova Fruct Association, Iurie Fală.
We fought hard to open this market for apple producers from the Republic of Moldova. It is a long path for apple producers, the Moldova Fruct Association, with the efforts of the Government. As a market, and as a destination, it is a promising one for our sector. We can start deliveries starting with the harvest and until the end of February, because transit is usually done by sea and the transit takes time, from one and a half to two months.
The more export destinations we have, the less vulnerable we are to crises. New markets mean new clients, new contracts, and, implicitly, higher incomes for producers, said the State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, Vasile Șarban.
We started this process 10 years ago. This is the first exported batch after adapting these exchanges of letters and information between our control body in the country ANSA and the control body in India. We hope a lot, but we are sure that everything will be fine and we will be successful because we are talking about Moldovan fruits. This means quality, taste and aroma.
We remind you that, in the 2023-2024 season, India imported over 460 million tons of apples from Turkey, Iran, Poland, Italy, Afghanistan, South Africa and other countries.
The Republic of Moldova obtained the right to export apples to India on February 21. The decision was preceded by trial shipments in line with Indian phytosanitary regulations. Thus, 340 tons of apples have been exported since 2023.
