Dried shelled beans market in Moldova

Earlier Report Observations

The market for dried shelled beans in Moldova showed initial growth from 2018 to 2021, with volume peaking at 14 225 t in 2021. This expansion was partly driven by a surge in imports, which exceeded exports by over 2.3 times during the 2020-2024 period, with Ukraine becoming the dominant supplier accounting for 79% of imports.

After the peak, the market volume contracted sharply to 10 418 t in 2022 due to a significant drop in domestic production, before recovering to 12 457 t in 2023 as production levels improved. Throughout this period, the structure of the market shifted towards greater import dependency.

By 2024, imports had climbed to 2 663 t, highlighting the market's heavy reliance on foreign supply, particularly from Ukraine which covered 94% of imports. The export segment remained minimal and controlled by a single company, GORGAN SRL, while key import players like BALU COMPANY SRL dominated the trade. Consumer preferences for premium and imported products, along with the lack of major domestic processing capacity, reinforced this import-oriented model.

Production dried shelled beans in Moldova

In kind, 2017-2020, t

Top producers of dried shelled beans, 2017-2020

World map of production of dried shelled beans, 2017-2020

Moldova's production of dried shelled beans reached its highest point in 2019 at 14 010 tonnes. However, by 2020, output had declined to 13 073 tonnes, marking a 6.7% decrease from the previous year. The lowest production level was recorded in 2018 at 11 922 tonnes. The most significant year-on-year drop occurred in 2018 with a 7.5% reduction, while the largest increase was seen in 2019 when production surged by 17.5%.

Annual dynamics of production in Moldova in kind, 2017-2020, t

Exports dried shelled beans from Moldova

Exports in kind, t

Moldova's exports of dried shelled beans showed considerable volatility during this period. The highest export volume was recorded in 2019 at 2 411 tonnes, but this dropped sharply to just 474 tonnes in 2020 – an 80.3% decrease from the previous year. This represents a 5.1-fold difference between the peak in 2019 and the low point in 2020. The most dramatic increase occurred in 2019 when exports grew by 319.2%.

Annual dynamics of product's exports from Moldova in kind, 2017-2020, t

Between 2017 and 2020, Romania was Moldova's primary market for dried shelled beans, accounting for 59.7% of total exports by volume. North Macedonia followed with 11.7%, and Italy with 10.8%. Together, these three countries represented 82.2% of Moldova's total dried shelled bean exports during this period.

Structure of product's exports in kind by countries, 2017-2020

World map of product's exports from Moldova in kind, 2017-2020

Exports in value, K $ US

The value of Moldova's dried shelled bean exports experienced significant fluctuations. Exports reached their highest value in 2019 at 1 789 thousand US dollars, but fell to their lowest point in 2018 at 486 thousand US dollars – a 3.7-fold difference between these extremes. In 2020, export value stood at 524 thousand US dollars, representing a sharp 70.7% decline from the previous year. The most substantial increase occurred in 2019 when export value grew by 267.8%.

Annual dynamics of product's exports from Moldova in value, 2017-2020, K $ US

From 2017 to 2020, Romania was the leading destination for Moldova's dried shelled bean exports by value, representing 56.5% of total export earnings. Italy accounted for 11.6%, while North Macedonia contributed 10.6%. Collectively, these three markets represented 78.7% of Moldova's total dried shelled bean export value during this timeframe.

Structure of product's exports in value by countries, 2017-2020

World map of product's exports from Moldova in value, 2017-2020

Imports dried shelled beans to Moldova

Imports in kind, t

Moldova's imports of dried shelled beans showed extreme volatility. The lowest import volume was recorded in 2018 at just 42 tonnes, while imports peaked in 2020 at 916 tonnes – representing a dramatic 22-fold increase between these years. In 2020 alone, imports surged by 999.0% compared to the previous year. The most significant decline occurred in 2018 when imports fell by 30.5%.

Annual dynamics of product's imports to Moldova in kind, 2017-2020, t

During the 2017-2020 period, Ukraine was Moldova's primary source of dried shelled bean imports by volume, accounting for 42.8% of total imports. Kyrgyzstan supplied 29.6%, while Uzbekistan contributed 6.1%. Together, these three countries represented 78.5% of Moldova's total dried shelled bean imports during these years.

Structure of product's imports in kind by countries, 2017-2020

World map of product's imports to Moldova in kind, 2017-2020

Imports in value, K $ US

Moldova's dried shelled bean import values showed an unstable pattern throughout this period. The lowest value was recorded in 2019 at 73 thousand US dollars, while imports peaked in 2020 at 925 thousand US dollars – representing a 12.7-fold difference between these years. In 2020, import value surged by 1 167.5% compared to the previous year. The most significant decline occurred in 2019 when import value fell by 24.0%.

Annual dynamics of product's imports to Moldova in value, 2017-2020, K $ US

Between 2017 and 2020, Ukraine was the leading source of Moldova's dried shelled bean imports by value, accounting for 35.7% of total import expenditure. Kyrgyzstan followed with 29.3%, while Ethiopia contributed 5.6%. Collectively, these three countries represented 70.6% of Moldova's total dried shelled bean import value during this period.

Structure of product's imports in value by countries, 2017-2020

World map of product's imports to Moldova in value, 2017-2020