Sales of late strawberries lasted almost three months this year. According to EastFruit price monitoring data, from the last week of July until the end of August, the average wholesale price for this berry was in the range of 70-80 lei/kg, while in retail it was consistently above 100 lei/kg.
According to the Chisinau fruit market operators, in the first half of September strawberries went down in price by about 10 lei/kg at wholesale and by 20-30 lei/kg at retail. During the last week of the month there were practically no wholesale offers on the capital’s market, strawberries were sold to the final consumer only by some fruit and vegetable “boutiques” and hawkers at the price of 80-120 lei/kg. The forecasted sharp cooling in the coming days will probably draw a line under the strawberry season-2025.
Usually, the seasons of early and late strawberries in Moldova are approximately equal in duration, but the former are sold significantly more expensive than the latter – by 20-25%, especially during the Easter vacations. This year, the price levels for early and late berries were about the same, but sales of late berries lasted noticeably longer.
The Pomușoarele Moldovei Berry Producers Association notes that farmers traditionally prefer to grow more early strawberries than late ones. The main reason is the desire to “monetize the effect of novelty” in conditions of a rather narrow range of fruits on Moldovan store shelves in spring. However, in the last few years, Greek and Turkish strawberries of the new harvest appear earlier and earlier in Moldovan retail chains, and the price start for this product is often lower. Competition with imports year after year reduces the duration and profitability of sales of early Moldovan strawberries grown in greenhouses and tunnels.
At the same time, experts of the Moldovan berry industry are not too insistent in recommending farmers to shift their focus to the production of late remontant strawberries. There are many reasons for this, the main reason being that the consumer “has had enough of berries for the summer”, and in the fall there is an abundance of competing fruit products on the Moldovan market. As a result, the strawberry segment of the country’s fruit market is usually in equilibrium in the fall: limited demand – limited supply, and prices are lower than in spring. However, during long seasons of fall sales, such as the current one, few strawberry suppliers probably manage to make good money.
