According to EastFruit price monitoring, the early apple season in RM started approximately on the usual dates for the last five years, but two weeks later than last year. The starting (and current) price for summer apples is the highest in the history of observations, both in lei and dollar terms – $1.18/kg. Compared to the situation in mid-July last year, the price of a new crop apple has roughly doubled.
But in the regional context it is not a record. In neighboring Ukraine, sales of apples started later – last week, the starting price is three times higher than last year. According to the mentioned source, on the Ukrainian market the average wholesale price of early apple is $1.55/kg, in Poland – $1.23/kg. However, analysts of EastFruit predict that due to the growing supply of this product, the price will significantly decrease already this week.
It is unlikely that the same scenario will develop on the market of Moldova. At least because the share of early varieties in the structure of apple segment is less than 10%. In recent years, characterized by the accelerating rate of elimination of “old” and low-productive apple varieties, it was the orchards of early varieties that were uprooted. That is, hardly the supply of apple of such summer varieties as “Glory to the Winners” or “White Bulk” in Moldova will be too large.
Besides, as Logos Press has repeatedly written, apple in RM is traditionally the cheapest fruit all year round. Seasonal fruits and berries are abnormally expensive this year. Probably, also for this reason, the price level for summer apples is very high, and the prices for apples of last year’s harvest are also attracted to it.
According to Iurie Fale, executive director of Moldova Fruct, the high prices for apples of the 2025 crop from the very beginning of the season are a European-wide trend due to a sum of factors, including weather anomalies, the rise in the cost of production resources (including labor) and logistical difficulties.
