Description
The Fruit Producers and Exporters Association of Moldova provides prospective buyers with the opportunity to pay virtual visits to selected fruit producers and exporters in Moldova through the use of 3D panorama imaging technologies and videos. The tours allow the viewing of the entire horticultural infrastructures of more than 20 member producers and exporters, from production to post-harvest handling. Buyers interested in Moldovan fruit and grapes can take a virtual tour of orchards, vineyards and post-harvest facilities, and see the modern cold storage facilities and other available sorting, grading and packaging equipment in use.
Technology
Moldova Fruct Fruit Producers and Exporters Association offers virtual tours of the facilities of its members through the use of 3D panorama imaging technologies and videos. The tours can be accessed from the association's webpage, requiring only a computer or mobile phone with an Internet connection. Each tour features a single producer/exporter, and typically includes captioned videos and images. Several navigation buttons on the screen allow the user to “act” within the virtual reality.
Target
The target users of the VR-tours are typically foreign buyers, although any other interested parties are invited. As of August 2022, over 20 fruit producers and exporters were providing virtual tours via the website.
Business model
The tours can be accessed free of charge by interested buyers. For the pilot stage of the project, fruit producers were supported financially under the USAID "Performance Agriculture in Moldova" project. The current cost to a fruit producer of preparing and hosting a VR tour on the app is unknown.
Impact
The virtual tours, by providing buyers with a means of visiting local producers and exporters, allow fruit producers to overcome geographical barriers, thus facilitating trade and sales. Under the COVID-19-related restrictions in particular, the tours helped producers overcome the lack of international exhibitions and trade fairs and the limited opportunities to travel. Such virtual tours allow producers to reach a much wider audience, and to optimise their promotional costs alongside traditional marketing activities, with a potentially much more significant impact.
Partners
USAID
Four Betters
Better production
