EU and EBRD financing boosts Moldova's fruit exports

A Moldovan fruit producer has doubled its productivity after receiving financing from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union, according to a press release. PDG Fruct, which grows strawberries, apples and plums near Moldova’s capital, invested in automated sorting and packaging equipment through the EU4Business-EBRD Credit Line. The company now sorts and packs about 36 tonnes of plums in eight hours and exports to several EU countries.

PDG Fruct started as a family-run operation and has grown into one of more than 440 businesses supported through the joint EBRD-EU program. The initiative provides loans through commercial banks, complemented by EU grants and technical assistance, helping small firms adopt modern technology and compete in international markets.

Zinaida Plămădeală, PDG Fruct’s administrator and export manager, said the company chose automation not just for productivity but also to reduce losses and guarantee quality. “We invested in automated sorting and packaging equipment not only for productivity, but also for sustainability, to reduce losses, guarantee quality, increase efficiency and to become a regional hub for other producers,” she explained. The company grows its produce in the villages of Păulești and Pitușca and employs 30 young professionals, mostly locals. Work follows the agricultural calendar, with strawberries and apples in early summer, followed by plums through late autumn.

PDG Fruct plans to expand its plum orchards, build a new storage and packaging hall, and fully digitalize its operations. The company aims to strengthen its position among top regional fruit producers by connecting Moldovan agricultural traditions with modern farming methods and EU market standards.