OREANDA-NEWS. September 15, 2008. The Moldovan grape exports to Ukraine and Romania must be conducted by economic entities on the basis of contracts, concluded with economic entities of the about countries and submitted to the Moldova-vin agency.

Dumitru Bratco of the Moldova-vin agency told Infotag that these contracts must contain the prices for products, which cannot be lower than 4 lei/kg for white varieties and 5 lei/kg – for red grape varieties.

"This year we plan to export about 30-50 thousand tons of grapes in fresh and crushed forms. The gross grape yield is expected to reach 700 thousand tons, including 100 thousand tons of table varieties. We shall send about 450-500 thousand ton for processing", Bratco remarked.

In his words, the mass yield of industrial varieties has already been begun.

"Unfortunately because of the Russian embargo in 2006-2007 many wineries have not recovered yet and cannot raise the purchasing prices for grape. The agency does not know their purchasing prices, but knows that they do not exceed 2-3 lei per kilo", he remarked.

Alongside with this, the expert recognized that the Isabella grape variety is a problem for Moldova.

"The trend consists in replacing such varieties by varieties, which enjoy high demand, but the wine, made of this variety, does not enjoy demand neither in Russia, nor in Belarus, Bratco said.

In his words, grape exports are allowed only through such border stations as Tudora, Mirnoe, Giurgiulesti, Leuseni and Sculeni.