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Not far from Magdacesti village, there is the farm of Igor Bogdan, an experienced entrepreneur who grows several kinds of crops. The farmer owns a few hectares of cherries and plums, he grows table grapes (Moldova), and wine grapes (Pinot and Cabernet) and in recent years, he planted raspberries and blackberries.

The farmer told us that he planted the blackberries as an experiment. Having a free hectare of land from which he removed several varieties of table grapes, Igor Bogdan decided to use it for blackberries. These berries have the same planting pattern as the vine and have perfectly adapted in a new place already equipped with pillars.

He grows the Blackberry for the fourth year already, and the planting material was brought from Italy. Igor works with three varieties: Thai Berry - an early variety of red blackberry without thorns that has already been harvested, Thornfree is a variety without thorns that ripens in about two weeks and Arapaho which is one of the first blackberry varieties without thorns. It is very popular because it is productive and resistant to frost. The fruits are large, with a thick and delicious pulp.

The advantages in growing this berry consist in the fact that the blackberries are more resistant to heat and drought than, for example, raspberries. Another advantage is that blackberries have a specific taste and are rarely affected by diseases and pests. They can easily be transported without losing the product quality.

Blackberries are splashed only during flowering season, they are sprayed with magnesium, iron and calcium. The plantation is equipped with a drip irrigation system and has all the conditions necessary to obtain a good harvest. This year it is expected about two tons of blackberries per hectare. The harvest is slightly below the expectations of the farmer, but given the natural disasters that occurred this spring, this is a good result.

Igor Bogdan, neither in previous years, nor this year had any problems with the selling of his berries. Having good distributors, he manages to export products to Russia and Belarus, and also sell them at a wholesale market in Chisinau.

He is a farmer who constantly learns new things and loves to experiment. He took part in numerous seminars organized in the country and abroad, and the experience exchange with other farmers helped him in many ways.

Blackberries are known for their high content of vitamins, antioxidants and a special taste. In addition, they are an important source of folic acid, which helps in improving the functioning of the nervous system, as well as in preventing many forms of cancer.