This is reported by FreshPlaza, a leading news portal covering the global fruit industry.
In a comment to Logos Press, Iurie Fala, executive director of “Moldova Fruct,” specified that, according to statistics, the country produced about 114,000 metric tons of plums last year and about 95,000 metric tons the year before. Moldova’s largest plum harvest of the current decade was recorded in 2023—about 150,000 metric tons.
It is also worth noting that over the past few seasons, Moldovan fruit traders have managed to significantly diversify the geographic destinations of their plum exports. Whereas previously at least two-thirds of export volume went to CIS markets, the European Union is now the main foreign buyer of Moldovan plums.
As FreshPlaza notes, this trend was particularly evident during the 2025 season: 66% of the total volume of Moldovan plum exports went to EU countries. Romania remained the largest market, accounting for 23% of exports. It was followed by Germany (14%), Poland (9%), and Croatia (5%). Exports of Moldovan plums to Latvia, Bulgaria, and the Netherlands are also gradually increasing.
In this regard, the positive image of Moldovan plums on the European market is extremely important—especially during a season with a potentially high harvest.
Quality Is the Key to Success
The Stanley variety is performing particularly well. Fruit size already exceeds 32 mm, with many orchards producing plums 35–38 mm in diameter and, in some areas, up to 40 mm. A more even fruit load on the trees in some farms has contributed to the formation of large and, importantly, uniformly sized fruit. Stanley remains one of the key Moldovan plum varieties thanks to its large fruit, firm flesh, and good shelf life. In addition to Stanley, the country also grows Lipotița, President, Top Hit, August Delight, and Blue Moon. Their varying ripening times allow producers to extend the harvest season and offer a broader range of export products.
Harvesting of the early-ripening Lipotița variety has already begun on some farms in the north of the country. The main harvest of Stanley and President is expected to take place from the second half of August through September. Some Stanley growers plan to begin harvesting around August 17–25, while in certain regions, harvesting will take place toward the end of the month, depending on the fruit’s ripeness.
Plums rank third among Moldova’s most exported fruits. The country is one of the world’s largest exporters of this product and supplies approximately 70,000 metric tons of plums to foreign markets annually. In recent years, exports have increasingly shifted toward the European Union, where demand for high-quality products remains strong, and Moldovan producers are expanding their business ties with European buyers.
