Beekeeping - growing sector in Moldova

Beekeepers in the Republic of Moldova are investing and innovating, managing to double honey exports. 80% of requests for advance subsidies come from beekeepers.

According to Iurie Scripnic, State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAIA), “when we see that 80% of requests for advance subsidies come from beekeepers, we understand that this sector is dynamic and ready for development.”


“If in the first ten months of 2023 we exported only 1,300 tons of honey, in the first 10 months of 2024 we reached over 3,100 tons. This means that our honey is gaining trust in foreign markets, and Moldovan beekeepers are becoming more competitive,” stated Scripnic.


According to the MAIA official, there are currently around 265,000 bee families in the country.

According to the National Agency for Food Safety (ANSA), in 2024, the institution collaborated intensively with producers and exporters in the beekeeping sector to implement the new changes from European legislation.


“The beekeeping production in the Republic of Moldova is continuously developing. It is certain that the European Union market is a priority for honey and honey products producers of Moldovan origin,” noted ANSA.


The institution also encourages honey and honey product producers from the Republic of Moldova, intending to export to the European Union, to submit applications to ANSA for authorization to export to the community market.

Annually, the beekeeping sector produces around 3,700 tons of honey. About 70% of the production is exported. The main market for Moldovan apicultural products is the European Union, where approximately 90% of Moldovan exports, or about 2,200 tons of honey, arrive annually, according to evaluations from the last three years.

In the Republic of Moldova, there are 9,421 authorized beekeepers who hold a beehive passport, of which 3,319 have a legal form of business activity.

Annually, on May 20, the Republic of Moldova marks National Bee Day. This comes after deputies voted last year for a project to complement the Parliament's decision on commemorative days, holidays.

The proposal to establish the holiday was put forward by the National Beekeepers Association and aims to promote the consumption of honey and apicultural products among the population.

In our country, beekeeping and honey production is a traditional occupation in most localities of the Republic of Moldova.


“Promoting increased honey consumption and honey products will contribute over time to enhancing the population's health, expanding the market for honey and honey products, including new collaboration opportunities between economic agents in the Republic of Moldova and other countries, the implementation of the most advanced technologies and best practices in beekeeping, production of honey, and native apicultural products,” explained the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry.


The World Bee Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2017 and is celebrated every year on May 20 to highlight the importance of bees to humanity and the need to protect them and other pollinators, which play a crucial role in crop yield increase and food security promotion.