In the absence of recent statistical data, it is difficult to say which process is progressing faster. This can be indirectly assessed based on the volume and structure of exports.
The 2026 Season: A Strong Start, an Open-Ended Finish
In 2026, local raspberries appeared on the Moldovan market two to three weeks ago. According to price monitoring by the EastFruit portal, the current marketing season began with the highest wholesale prices in five years—about 60 lei/kg.
The start was relatively early. The first shipments to Moldova’s retail market were presumably quite large or numerous, since wholesale prices for raspberries dropped to 50 lei/kg within the very first week of sales. Evidently, suppliers to boutique and chain retailers skimmed off the “cream of the crop” first. As open-air wholesale and retail markets became more actively involved in the trading process, prices began to fall.
Until now, the raspberry segment of Moldova’s berry market has followed the 2022 scenario. At that time, due to a poor harvest and logistical challenges, the European raspberry market saw prices surge to an unprecedented high for the first time this decade. Incidentally, prices rose for nearly the entire season that year, with only rare and brief declines.
Last year, the wholesale price of raspberries also rose throughout the season: from an initial 45 lei/kg to a final average of 80 lei/kg. In terms of prices, 2025 was the best year of the five-year period; in terms of export volumes, it was above average (according to expert estimates, just over 800 metric tons).
In recent years, the volume of fresh raspberry exports from Moldova has fluctuated between 0.7 and 1 thousand metric tons.
Breaking out of this range will only be possible through new varieties and retail shipments
Will Moldovan farmers and traders be able to exceed the established range of export volumes this year? It is difficult to predict a definitive answer—much will depend on the weather during the main harvest period (raspberries do not tolerate excessive moisture at this time), on the ability of farmers and traders to maintain an unbroken “cold chain” from post-harvest cooling of the berries all the way to store shelves, and, finally, on export prices.
At the end of last week, the average price of raspberries in Moldova ($2.83/kg) was lower than in Ukraine ($3.57/kg) and significantly lower than in Poland ($10.15/kg). Apparently, this has spurred intermediaries to offer services for organizing shipments of Moldovan raspberries to Poland.
The problem is that, according to market operators, there is a sufficient supply of “second-grade raspberries” in Moldova—suitable for processing or, at best, freezing. However, there are not many high-quality berries of marketable varieties and consistent size suitable for the “fresh market.”
As a result, raspberries from Moldova almost never reach the consumer-packaged markets in Poland, Italy, and Switzerland. Sometimes they are exported to wholesale markets in Iași, Galați, and Bucharest, but at prices lower than those in Romanian supermarkets.
As noted by Dmitri Dodică, head of ANASTASIA TRADING & SERVICES SRL, in 2025 only four companies from Moldova exported raspberries to Romania for sale as fresh produce in retail stores. These were small volumes of remontant varieties—Enrosadira, Mapema, Clarita, Margarita, and Bienale (Glen Ample). The expert sees potential for growth in these and similar varieties.
“In Romania, in the Iași region, the price of raspberries is 25 RON per 0.5 kg—directly from the producer. In supermarkets, the price is even higher. Can you feel the difference?” concludes Dmitri Dodică.
