The first frosty nights of May have significantly worsened estimates of damage to Moldova's fruit sector from spring frosts. According to initial assessments by fruit market operators, between a quarter and a third of the country's total orchard area was seriously affected.

The biggest losses were reported in peach, sour cherry and sweet cherry orchards. In some orchards, growers reported the complete loss of the crop. Damage to generative organs was also recorded in plum, walnut and even apple plantations.

Northern Moldova was affected the most, as expected. However, damaged orchards were also reported in the central and south-eastern parts of the country. The situation was described as relatively better only in some south-western districts.

In most cases, the orchards damaged by the early May frosts were located in low-lying areas. In those locations, night temperatures previously dropped to -2C to -4C, which is highly dangerous for flowering fruit trees.

Representatives of insurance companies said they had been receiving multiple reports from clients during the first half of the day about the destruction of fruit crops. Given the low number of insurance contracts covering spring frost risks, the scale of the damage appears to be widespread.

The full impact is still unclear. As an example, last year's first estimates suggested severe damage to plum orchards after May frosts, but the final plum crop in 2025 turned out to be relatively good. Earlier, fruit industry organisations in Ukraine repeatedly reported losses of at least 50% in stone fruit production.

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com