Since 2015, berry farming has become one of Moldova's most promising agricultural sectors, according to Veaceslav Ioniță, an economic analyst at IDIS Viitorul. In a recent broadcast, he noted strong growth in both domestic consumption and exports, particularly of frozen berries.
Strawberries and raspberries dominate the country's berry output, accounting for 61.9% and 32%, respectively. Other cultivated berries include currants, sea buckthorn, blackberries, and gooseberries. Total cultivation areas have expanded 2.5 times over the past 30 years, reaching 5,400 hectares. Around 70% of these are maintained by households, with the remaining 30% farmed by producers and agri-businesses.
Moldovan consumers now eat five times more berries than they did before 2015, rising from 2 kg per capita annually to nearly 9.8 kg in 2023. Despite poor weather in 2024, consumption reached 8.8 kg, and is expected to exceed 10.5 kg per person in 2025. The rise is driven largely by the availability of local fruit; 80% of berries consumed are now Moldovan-grown, compared to just 50% a decade ago.
The total market value in 2024 was 838 million Moldovan lei: 466 million from domestic sales, 260 million from imports, and 112 million from exports, 43 million of which came from frozen berries. Frozen exports have grown nearly fourfold in five years, now representing half of Moldova's total berry export volume.
Key export markets include Russia (41.1%), Poland (32.6%), and Romania (18.6%), with Poland and Romania only entering the Moldovan berry market after 2020.
Despite the progress, challenges remain. Consumption is highly seasonal, limited to about three months, and home freezing is uncommon. As a result, off-season demand is met with imports, mainly from Greece, Spain, Turkey, and Ukraine.
Source: agroexpert.md