Moldova Exports Its First Shipment of Apples to India

The first shipment of Moldovan apples has arrived in India and the remaining will reach the destination by the end of this month, according to media reports.

On a trial basis, we have brought 100 tonnes of apples from Moldova to India through the ports of Chennai and Mumbai. We will import more from that nation once the government approves following these trial imports, according to Nishanth Yeddanapalli, Managing Director of Chennai-based Purecrop Agro Private Limited.

A division of the 85-year-old Vaduvammal Group, Purecrop Agro offers a diverse range of businesses, including steel, metal recycling, chemicals, and agriculture.

In 2018, Moldova received approval to send apples to India on a trial basis. It had a window of five years to finish the experimental shipments.

2018 saw the failure of our first shipment because we were unable to comply with Indian requirements. With numerous organizations stepping up to assist us, we are now better prepared, according to Ana Taban, ambassador at large for economic diplomacy, Moldovian Ministry of Foreign Affairs & European Integration.

Yeddanapalli added that the fruit will be reasonably priced and that it took less than 40 days from the time they made the decision to import apples from Moldova to India. He said that apples from Moldova are sweet and would compete with those from Poland, Turkey, and Italy.

Apples grown in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh currently sell for between Rs 80 and Rs 100 per kg in the domestic market, whereas apples imported at wholesale cost between Rs 2,500 and Rs 600 for an 18 kg carton.

Ion Tulei, Commercial Director, Moldova's FarmProd Limited said that during the August 2021–July 2022 marketing season, his nation produced 2.45 lakh tonnes of apples and exported roughly 5.5 lakh tonnes of them.

Since they export to Europe in particular, farmers in Moldova use appropriate agricultural methods to meet international quality requirements, according to Andrei Cumpanici, manager of food safety, quality, and sustainability.