April 8 2013, 12:09 Fito-Mag

Moldovan apple prices stably lower year-on-year

Current Moldovan growers' apple prices are 15-20% lower compared with April 2012. Sellers have not managed to return to last year's price levels due to relatively flat demand for apples in Russia.

Despite relatively low prices, Moldova managed to export just 150,000 tonnes of apples to Russia over the first 8 months of this season, a decrease of 16% from the same period of the season 2011/12. Lower exports are connected with high competition with Polish apples in the Russian market. Poland has become a leader in exports of relatively inexpensive high-quality apples to Russia in autumn 2012. Moreover, Russian apple production turned out to be record high last year.

Current prices of Moldovan apples vary between EUR 0.38-0.44/kg. Sales of Idared and Golden varieties are the highest now. Furthermore, farmers say of relatively large unsold stocks of apples in the country and low demand for them in the internal market. Thus, a prospect of a sharp increase in apple prices is hardly probable in the nearest time.