ACED: Moldovan Table Grape Producers to Adopt Common Package Design

ACED: Moldovan Table Grape Producers to Adopt Common Package Design

• 05.09.2012

On August 24, 2012, representatives of nine table grape producers, various post-harvest handlers and the Grape Producer Association met at a roundtable organized by the Agricultural Competitiveness and Enterprise Development Project (ACED), funded by the United States Government. The participants, who have formed an informal producer/marketing group, agreed to join their efforts in designing and producing a new type of light wooden box for table grapes, strong enough for long-distance journeys and long-term storage. The same packaging would be used for table grape delivery to domestic supermarkets.

The event built on the experience and knowledge that the table grape producers gained during a study tour in Italy, organized by ACED earlier this year. ACED will provide international expertise in competitive packaging technologies to the informal producer/marketing group. One of ACED’s goals is to help small farmers and producer groups of fresh fruits and vegetables, including table grapes, to sell their crops to Moldovan and foreign supermarket chains.