The initial wholesale price for apricots is around 30 lei per kilogram ($1.68), which is significantly lower than last year when it was 35 lei per kilogram ($1.84). Over the weekend of last week, apricot prices on the wholesale and retail markets in Chisinau increased by 1-2 lei per kilogram.
Market traders expect the prices of Moldovan apricots to remain at the current level, possibly throughout the current working week. One of the main reasons for this situation is the limited supply of early varieties of apricots, which were affected by spring frost. Harvesting of mid-season and late-season varieties will only begin in a week or two, and their production will also be limited. Experts estimate that the total apricot harvest in the country this year will not exceed 8-9 thousand tons, which is 20-25% less than the previous two seasons.
Despite the low harvest, prices are likely to decrease due to uncertainties regarding export prospects. Typically, Moldova exports between 2.5 and 3.5 thousand tons of apricots to foreign markets, with Russia and Ukraine being the main destinations. However, whether Moldovan apricots will be exported in 2023 is currently difficult to predict.
The area of apricot orchards in Moldova is approximately 3.5 thousand hectares, which represents about 3% of the total area of fruit plantations in the country. Although the share of apricots is small in the country’s horticulture structure, they rank third after apples and plums.
Interestingly, until last year, the area of apricot orchards in the country increased by 50-100 hectares every year. This was largely due to the growth of intensive orchards with high planting density (at least 1.1 thousand trees per hectare), according to data from the Agency for Interventions and Payments in Agriculture (AIPA).
The majority of apricot orchards (about 43%) are located in the central zone of Moldova. This year, this zone, as well as the southern regions, suffered less from spring frosts and hail compared to the northern region of Moldova. Over 70% of all apricot orchards belong to households and small farms, which is the largest share among the three main Moldovan fruits.
Approximately 1.2-1.4 thousand hectares of apricot plantations are owned by large horticultural enterprises (10 hectares or more). They are mainly focused on export. In the current situation, they will face significant challenges in terms of hiring labor for harvesting and exporting the production.
