Frosts at the Start of the Season
In response to a query from a Logos Press correspondent, the Pomușoarele Moldovei Berry Growers Association noted that this year, major strawberry producers have expanded their berry fields. In total, according to preliminary estimates, berries in Moldova are grown on an area of more than 4,000 hectares, of which at least half is devoted to strawberry plantations.
In other words, after several years of decline, berry producers have restored strawberry plantation acreage to the level seen at the start of this decade.
Spring frosts have, to some extent, damaged the berry fields. This has also contributed to the fact that the start of the harvesting and sales season for field-grown (open-field) strawberries will begin two to three weeks later than usual.
Rainfall on the eve of the harvest
Heavy and frequent rainfall in the north and center of the country has “reshaped” the first half of the strawberry sales season. It affected the harvesting process—slowing it down and disrupting the pace, while also complicating and increasing the cost of hiring labor.
Excessive moisture, at the very least, affected the quality of the berries—they became waterier, less firm, and less sweet. And in the worst-case scenarios, it triggered the spread of diseases, resulting in significant crop losses and increased costs for culling.
As a result, the traditional marketing scenario—an avalanche-like surge in the quantity and volume of strawberry supply, followed by a prolonged and sustained decline in berry prices—has not yet materialized this year. According to EastFruit’s price monitoring data, the wholesale price of strawberries in the middle of this month stabilized at a relatively high level (from the perspective of the Moldovan market’s history)—averaging around 40 lei/kg.
At Pomușoarele Moldovei, the situation is explained simply: both sellers and buyers understand that after the rains, the supply of berries will remain limited for some time even if the weather is favorable (amid high summer demand).
Exports
The industry association notes that purchases of strawberries for export began in the very first days of the “field-grown berry” season. So far, exports have been relatively small, partly due to the relatively high purchase prices. At the same time, the quality of the berries (low density and sugar content) also does not contribute to active exports.
Pomușoarele Moldovei does not yet have statistics on the volumes and destinations of shipments at the start of the season. In the vast majority of cases, exports are carried out by intermediary traders, who do not disclose details of their operations. It is likely that the trends of the previous two seasons are continuing to some extent—an increase in shipments to Romania and a decrease to CIS countries.
Processing
The intensive phase of harvesting strawberries for processing usually falls in the second half of the berry sales season—when supply is still high and prices are trending toward their lowest levels.
Representatives of canning companies claim that this year, a relatively comfortable purchase price for strawberries will hover around 1 euro/kg. It is unlikely to be higher, given the rising costs of other key production inputs (in particular, the increase in sugar prices).
At the same time, canners’ quality requirements differ little from those of “fresh market” operators: the berries must be ripe, uniform in size and shape, and free of mechanical damage and signs of disease.
In addition to this, an important bonus for processors is the removal of the fruit stem. For companies that freeze berries and fruits, moderate moisture content in the raw material is also important.
Overall, demand for strawberries as an industrial raw material this season will be low—at most a few hundred tons.
