Scandinavian market - new possibility of export for Moldovan honey

Chisinau, 22 November /MOLDPRES/ - The Nordic market attracts the exporters of honey from Moldova, due to the competitive prices and the reputation for sure payments and in due time. In the context, four Moldovan producers have recently participated in a commercial mission in Sweden and Denmark, in order to understand the specific feature of the Nordic market, to learn the consumers’ preferences, as well as the possibility to explore new distribution channels.    

New opportunities for the Moldovan honey: what the Scandinavian market provides?

The activity was organized by the Rural Competitiveness and Resilience Activity in Moldova Project of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with Open Trade Gate Sweden and the Association of Exporters of Honey from Moldova, and allowed the participants to discover both the opportunities and the challenges of the Nordic market. At the same time, the exporters learned details about the complex route covered by the Moldovan honey till it reaches shelves of supermarkets from Sweden and Denmark.   

„The access to the supermarkets from the Scandinavian countries is made through direct contracts or distributors, but imposes strict certificates of food security, such BRC or IFS and social compliance according to the BSCI standards. The listing is possible only twice per year, on pre-established periods and the providers must submit information about the price, logistics, forecasts of sales and promotion plans,’’ a director of marketing and export at the aforementioned USAID project, Tatiana Burca said.   

Possibilities for Moldova exporters

Presently, Moldovan honey exporters do not hold the certificates needed to deliver the honey directly to the networks of supermarkets from the Scandinavian countries.

„In short and medium term, with poorer investments, the exporters of honey from Moldova have possibility to access the Nordic markets through private trademarks and through distributors. Data shows that the segment of private trademarks advances quicker than the one of the individual brands of the producers, being more accessible as price. We should take into account the fact that the logistics up to the Scandinavian countries and the internal one, the supplements of distributors and the investments in marketing can get sometimes to represent up to two thirds of the shelf price,’’ Tatiana Burca noted.   

The exporters of honey from Moldova must take into account the fact that most consumers from Denmark and Sweden are sensitive to price for this category of products. Although the volume of consumption of honey has not decreased in the last three years, the profile of buyers changed, with the latter orienting themselves ever more to more accessible products in terms of price.   

The Moldovan honey is the most appreciated by the local consumers

The native honey is most appreciated for the local consumers. It is followed by the honey coming from European Union countries. The honey imported from outside EU is used mostly in mixtures and is sold under private trademarks in categories of price more accessible for consumers.  

As for the imported honey, the main sources of competition for Moldova on the Nordic market represent the honey from Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine, with the latter one strongly influencing the level of prices, especially as regards the poly-flower honey. Also, there are imports of honey from far-away countries, such as Argentina and Mexico.   

Statistics data shows that, in the last years, a decrease in the price for the Moldovan exported honey has been recorded.  While in 2021-2022, the average export price of the honey was of 3.7 dollars/kg, in 2024, the honey is sold for an average price of 2.6 dollars/kg. The Moldovan honey is exported preponderantly in bulk. During January-October 2024, Moldova exported 3,150 tons of honey. More than a half of this sum was exported to Romania and Italy (637 tons). The honey from Moldova also reached such far-away destinations as Norway and Canada.   

Ten honey producers from Moldova authorized for export to European Union

Ten producers of natural honey from Moldova in October 2024 got right to export to the European Union and are listed in the system TRACES NT of EU.

The apicultural sector of Moldova annually produces 3,700 tons of honey, from which about 70 per cent is meant for export. The European Union represents the principal market for the Moldovan apicultural products, which accounts for 90 per cent of the exports, the equivalent of 2,200 tons of honey annually.

In 2023, the Agriculture and Food Industry invested over 100 million lei in the apicultural sector, by providing subsidies for purchasing equipment, swarms and queens.   

Correspondent: Lilia Grubii