End Market Study for Fresh and Dried Fruits in Baltic Countries

The project, known as ACED, is a five-year initiative co-funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). ACED aims to strengthen existing value chains and encourage the development of new ones through a combination of technical and managerial training, technical assistance, and marketing services. The ACED project targets a limited number of high-value agriculture value chains, including fruits, which are a key component of the Moldovan economy. The project's objectives include improving the competitiveness of Moldovan fruit producers, increasing their market share, and enhancing their access to international markets. To achieve these objectives, ACED will provide support to Moldovan fruit value chain participants, including producers, packers, consolidators, and others. The study focuses on the end market for fresh and dried fruits in the Baltic countries, including Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The Baltic market is small, with a total population of approximately 6.6 million people, but it is a significant transit point for EU and overseas shipments of fruits destined for Russia and Belarus. The study aims to provide insights into the market dynamics, consumer preferences, and trade barriers affecting Moldovan fruit exports to the Baltic countries. The study highlights the importance of understanding the market requirements and preferences of the Baltic countries, particularly in terms of product quality, packaging, and delivery terms. The study also emphasizes the need for Moldovan fruit producers to be competitive in terms of price, fruit appeal, and terms of delivery in order to convince Baltic importers to bring full truckloads of one item from outside the EU. The study provides specific guidelines for importing different types of fruits to the Baltic countries, including apples, table grapes, peaches, tomatoes, dried plums, and walnuts. The study also highlights the importance of compliance with EU marketing standards, GlobalGap, and HACCP certification in order to access the Baltic market. In terms of packaging requirements, the study notes that there are no specific requirements for exporting fruit into the Baltic market as long as the packaging sufficiently protects the fruit from being damaged. However, the study emphasizes the importance of attention to food safety issues and compliance with minimum quality requirements in order to access the Baltic market. The study concludes that Moldovan fruit producers willing to work with distributors or retail chains on a long-term basis should be ready to accept payments of at least 14-30 days and comply with minimum quality requirements, sustained deliveries, competitive prices, and extreme attention to food safety issues. The study provides a comprehensive overview of the end market for fresh and dried fruits in the Baltic countries and highlights the opportunities and challenges facing Moldovan fruit producers in accessing this market.