Digitalization and mechanization become a part of Georgian agriculture as an increasing number of producers invest in precision farming technologies. Mkisa is a Georgian company contributing by building an agricultural business where almost every decision is based on data analysis taken from digital tools directly on the field. In the next few years, Mkisa plans to develop the whole value chain production and become a consultancy service provider for others.

The company started its operations in 2020 and has already planted 10 ha of almonds and 24 ha of maize, while 30 more hectares of almonds and 20 ha of blueberry orchards are planned to plant in the first quarter of 2022. First harvests are expected in 2023. In total, the company owns 200+ ha of land in east and west Georgia and has plans to increase it in forthcoming years. The eastern sites are intended for almonds production, while western sites are for the blueberries.

The decision to plant almonds and blueberries was based on market research, which revealed that almonds and blueberries were the optimal choices in terms of the Return on Investment (ROI) indicator and the time needed to receive the first harvests, compared to other considered alternatives. They also took into account government programs’ and the banks’ potential support while choosing the crops.

EastFruit discussed the company’s experience in digital agriculture and the future plans with its executive director Gigi Gachechiladze.

What kind of digital tools are you using to manage the orchards or planning to use in the future?

We’ve invested in a weather station, plant and soil sensors, as well as drones so far. In combination, these tools allow us to plan and manage almost all operations in the orchards based on precise and live data.

Weather station: price, components, and applications

We bought a weather station from the local representative of USA-based company DAVIS — CVIG. The bundle – weather station covering 40 ha, and leaf and soil sensors for 10 ha – cost 15 000 GEL ($4,644) in 2021. We are planning to add more sensors to cover a total of 40 ha of almond orchards in 2022.

Station has several transmitting nodes installed in the orchard. Each node is equipped with 3 types of sensors, soil moisture and temperature, and leaf wetness sensors. Nodes and sensors are fully autonomous in terms of electricity and the internet. Station uses solar panels as an energy source and 4G for the internet connection.

Analysis of historical data taken from the sensors is crucial for planning or adjustment of schedules and doses of pesticide, herbicide, fungicide, and fertilizer applications, while live data analysis guarantees timely agronomic measures. Agronomists agree that even hours matter when taking preventive measures against the diseases.

Each sensor gives different kind of information to plan various activities. Soil moisture sensor gives data crucial for irrigation and application management. The soil temperature sensor shows the temperature in the ground to analyze the root development of plants. Leaf sensor gives dates and duration of leaf wetness, helping agronomists to assess the effectiveness of applications and rainfalls.

Weather stations can give much more indicators if needed, but on a daily basis we monitor soil moisture and temperature, rainfalls, evapotranspiration (ET), humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and THSW (temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and wind) index. Station also forecasts the weather for the next 7 day period. Each data is crucial to analyze the real state of plants.

Agriculture drones

We have our own drone and are in the research and development stage in this direction. Drones can be equipped with a multispectral camera which gives multispectral images for analytics. We think that this technology will be useful for large fields and orchards as it can identify problematic areas of land and give signals to an agronomist to take a closer look at that area.

We also used an agricultural drone to spray 24 ha maize fields against the disease last year. It was the right decision, as plants were already tall and it was impossible to spray them conventionally. I find it helpful to use drones for spraying annual crops, while I’m a little skeptical about their use in the case of tree orchards. I believe conventional methods will be much quicker in orchards compared to drones, taking into account the short battery life and small tanks of drones.

Labor shortage and mechanization

We consider labor shortage during pruning and harvesting seasons as one of the future challenges. To meet this challenge our almond orchard will be fully mechanized since 2023. As for blueberry production, we consider buying mechanical harvesters. We’ve even selected the specific harvester and plan to attend the harvesting to assess it in the working process. This is the air-jet harvester produced in Serbia, which harvests berries by imitating storm and shaking plants with pulsating air jets. According to the producer’s information, the new technology less damages the fruit in the harvesting process and makes it suitable for selling on the fresh market, but we will have a clear view of it only after the tests in the field.

What are the future plans of Mkisa?

Our intention is not only to become a large-scale producer but to develop self-sustainable and green energy orchards, along with the whole value chain from planting to sales.

In 2023 we plan to build a cold storage and processing facility for blueberries in Tskaltubo or Khobi site, as well as receive certifications for both blueberry and almond production — GLOBAL G.A.P. and HACCP accordingly.

Today we work with local and international professionals to manage processes in the orchards. In blueberry orchard development, Mkisa relies on the knowledge of local consultants but receives coaching from Spain and Poland to manage almond orchards. After gaining the necessary expertise, we’ll become service providers ourselves. By that time our team will have valuable experience in digital agriculture as well, as we’ve already invested in digitalization and will continue in the future.

Сообщение Mkisa — Georgian agricultural company with a focus on digital agriculture появились сначала на EastFruit.

Blueberries have become one of the most popular crops for planting in Western Georgia over the past ten years. Interest in their production has not subsided, since export opportunities are attractive. According to EastFruit, Georgia has made a huge leap forward over the past four years, increasing its blueberry export revenues from $0.44 million in 2018 to $5.6 million in the 2021 season.

A hazelnut processing company Georgian Products Renaissance has invested in a blueberry farm in the Samegrelo region as well as a sorting and packing facility. The total investment is approximately 3.7 million GEL ($1.19 million), including 1.5 million GEL ($0.48 million) in a 15-hectare farm, and 2.2 million GEL ($0.71 million) in the packaging facility. Financial support for the project was provided by state programs “Plant the Future”, “Co-financing of processing and storage enterprises” and “Preferential agricultural credit”. The company will operate under the name “Blue Bird”. It is worth noting that since 2020, the company has also been producing berries in high tunnels (2000 sq. M.).

According to the co-founder of the company, Ms. Bayi Salukvadze, they decided to invest in the blueberry sector because of several advantages. First is the location – Samegrelo is one of the main blueberry growing regions in Georgia due to the suitable soil and climatic conditions. Another point is the popularity of blueberries in export markets. In addition, Salukvadze named other decisive factors for successful work in this sector.

“We already employ over 80 local people in hazelnut processing. Adding blueberry production will allow us to employ these people year-round and avoid labor shortages during the harvest season. So far, we only hire them from August to May, when the hazelnut season is active. Blueberry production will fill the break in May-July. Another factor is that we have experience in sales in foreign markets, which will help us export blueberries,” Salukvadze says.

The sorting and packaging factory will be set up in February 2022. The first two years – before its own harvest, Blue Bird plans to receive income only from the exports of blueberries purchased from local producers, and from selling packing and sorting services to them.

“We saw the need to open such a plant in the region in the 2021 season, as due to the uncertainty in the Russian market, buyers refrained from buying blueberries, making farmers worry about sales. Our goal is to diversify the exports so as not to depend on volatile markets such as Russia. We strive to sell Georgian blueberries in the markets of Europe and the Middle East, relying on our experience and contacts, but we do not exclude sales in the Russian market. We are now discussing which certification system to choose, leaning towards a stricter system than the well-known GlobalG.A.P. standards such as the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) standards – in order to enter export markets with greater confidence. We will achieve the highest quality also thanks to the latest equipment to be established at the factory,”- co-founder concludes.

Ms. Salukvadze spoke about the existing problem in the overall quality of the products. She says that in many cases, mistakes are made during the harvesting process itself, when pickers don’t pay attention to quality, but try to harvest as much as possible. Thus, the control of the harvesting is critical. The plant’s capacities allow sorting and packaging up to 600 tonnes of blueberries per season. Salukvadze does not expect the plant to operate at full capacity in the first year. They expect to harvest 300 tonnes of quality blueberries.

The farm will be established in 2022. Before deciding on varieties, the founders visited farms in Western Georgia and received recommendations from professional agronomists. Particular attention was paid to early varieties that are already being grown in Georgia. Selected varieties include Legacy, Sweetheart, Colibri, Bonus, Hannah’s Choice, and Gupton. Some of the seedlings will be bought from a local nursery, some will be imported from the USA and Belarus.

Сообщение The blueberry sector in Georgia keeps growing – a $1.19 million project to be implemented in 2022 появились сначала на EastFruit.

EastFruit experts consider deep freezing of berries, fruits and vegetables to be one of the most attractive investment niches for Central Asia and actively inform local investors about it. And this information is bearing fruit. Uzbekistan began to significantly increase the exports of frozen vegetables and fruits in 2021. Finally, the first enterprise for deep freezing of fruits and berries has opened in Tajikistan, with the consulting support of the FAO and EBRD project, within which the EastFruit platform also operates.

At the end of 2021, Harif LLC completed the construction and setting up of the first deep freezing plant, which is capable of processing up to 15 tonnes of berries, fruits or vegetables per day by static freezing. The enterprise was established in the north of Tajikistan, near the city of Khujand. The first freezing plant in the country will start freezing strawberries, raspberries, cherries and apricots in spring 2022. Since everything can be frozen, freezing other fruit and vegetable raw materials will also be considered – it can be plums, peaches, melons, rose hips, vegetables, and even wild plants. In the future, the enterprise may give an impetus to the cultivation of other fruit and vegetables valuable for the global market, that were not previously grown in the country.

Freezing plant “Harif” is the first enterprise of its kind in Tajikistan. Until now, there were plants for drying vegetables, canning fruits and vegetables, processing dried fruits, and producing juices in the country, but until recently there were no deep freezing factories. Thus, this is an innovative enterprise for Tajikistan. Tajikistan is famous for the high quality of fruits with a high BRIX content, and relatively low prices for the raw material. However, some of the grown products are simply lost because the possibilities of selling them for fresh export are very limited.

Local farmers, realizing that all products cannot be sold fresh, sell the remaining ones for drying under the sun or dry them themselves, but the revenue per kilogram of fresh produce is quite low. Tajikistan is famous for its dried apricots, apples, plums and dried fruit mixes. There are also several vegetable drying enterprises operating in the country. However, the sale of fresh or frozen products is much more profitable, since the revenue per hectare from their sale is several times higher than from the sale of dried ones.

By the way, dried fruits have already begun to yield market share to fresh fruits even on the market of Central Asian countries, where they are a traditional product for the local population. Supermarket chains in the region, note that fruit and vegetable freezing is also one of the fastest growing sales segments even in Uzbekistan! In particular, this was said by the manager of the Makro supermarket chain Roman Saifulin from Uzbekistan in his interview with EastFruit. Therefore, frozen fruits and berries of local production may appear in supermarkets in Tajikistan thanks to the new project.

“For me personally, the creation of the first plant for freezing fruits and berries in Tajikistan is a great victory, because it allows to demonstrate the potential of this business to other investors in the region. After all, it is much easier to export frozen fruits, vegetables, berries and wild plants than fresh ones. Deep freezing is one of the fastest growing segments of the global fruit and vegetable market. This means that the freeze will allow Tajikistan to boost exports, increase the incomes of farmers and vegetable growers, and create new jobs along the entire value chain. Fruits for freezing can be harvested in the phase of full ripeness, when their taste reaches a peak, unlike those for fresh market. Thus, I hope that, thanks to this enterprise, many countries of the world will appreciate the unique taste of Tajik fruits”, Andriy Yarmak, Economist at the Investment Centre of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Harif’s fruit and berry freezing facility consists of an acceptance and inspection department, blast chilling, blast freezing, storage and a cold processing and packaging department. It even has its own laboratory. The enterprise will be able to store more than 300 tonnes of frozen fruits and berries, for which a modern storage facility has been built. There is also an area for simultaneous cooling of 500 tonnes of fruit, which will allow to launch a project for the exports of fresh, chilled premium-quality products. More than 30 people will work at this innovative enterprise during the freezing season.

“We are already planning to purchase raw materials from households and farms of both the Sughd and Khatlon regions of Tajikistan. In the future, we plan to create a cooperative for growing traditional and niche berries for Tajikistan on an area of ​​about 50 hectares,” says the director of Harif LLC, Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov, who has also long been a consultant to the EastFruit project, FAO and EBRD.

Convinced of the prospects of freezing fruits and vegetables, and trying for several years in a row to convince local investors of this, Mr. Abduvohidov decided to set a personal example and create the first plant on his own, using the most modern technologies. “Ukraine earns $200 million from the exports of frozen berries alone, and Poland and Serbia – half a billion dollars each. But the climate in Tajikistan is better, labor and electricity are cheaper, the growing season for berries is longer, so there is no reason for Tajikistan not to earn money in this growing and promising market. Moreover, we will be able to make high and even premium-quality products and get a higher price for them,” says Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov.

He also notes that small farmers in the region have recently begun to engage in the cultivation of strawberries. This gives hope for a sustainable expansion of the raw material areas and the creation of an alternative to the fresh market by buying part of their products for freezing. The Harif company plans to help colleagues with information and advice on growing technologies, as well as provide with professional support of production projects.

In addition, the company built ultra-modern multi-level greenhouses for the propagation of seedlings for strawberries and brought planting material of the most popular berry varieties from Italy. Hydroponic low-volume technology is used in the cultivation, which is also an innovation for the strawberry business in Tajikistan. The company plans to create its own nursery and plantation for the industrial cultivation of strawberries of the best world varieties.

The project for the creation of a fruit and berry freezing enterprise was financed by Harif’s own funds, and freezing equipment was purchased with the support of the USAID CTJ project. Harif will produce with an export orientation. For this, it is planned to obtain HACCP, ISO 22000 and GLOBALG.A.P. certificates for the berry growers who will supply raw materials for freezing.

Сообщение The first plant for fruits and berries deep freezing opened in Tajikistan появились сначала на EastFruit.

Luffa is a vegetable of the pumpkin family which resembles a large cucumber or zucchini. Luffa is grown mainly for the production of natural dishcloths and sponges, and it is not yet widely known in cooking, despite a number of beneficial properties for health. The plant is considered to originate in Northwest India, where it appeared in the 13th century. Gradually, they began to grow it in the countries of Europe and Asia.

Vladimir Zhdanov, the founder of the family farm Family Loofa (Ukraine, Kherson region), spoke about the three main stages of the production and sale of luffa, its prospects and marketing during the webinar “Successful stories of niche cultures”.

The event was organized by the Ukrainian Horticultural Business Development Project. ì

As Vladimir Zhdanov notes, in 2018 he sowed luffa in the aisles of grapes. The choice of such a crop was not accidental – the farmer did not fully understand how luffa would grow, but he knew that the plant needed support. For this purpose, he chose grapes on which the luffa vine then grew.

“Out of 50 seeds that were planted then, we got about 30 plants. From 20 of these we harvested fruits,” notes the founder of the family farm Family Loofa, stressing that today his farm grows this crop on an area of ​​0.3 hectares.

According to Vladimir Zhdanov, there are three main stages in the cultivation of luffa: the cultivation itself, harvesting and packaging, marketing and sale.

“Growing luffa can be compared to the production of cucumbers. At the same time, the climate in Ukraine is quite suitable for growing luffa, especially the southern regions of the country. A trellis or a net is needed, because it is a liana-like plant and if it does not twine properly, it is very difficult to get fruits of the proper quality.

Specialists have previously tried growing the crop in field. However, they did not manage to get the proper volume and quality of the crop. The fact is that during the ripening period, luffa seems to tighten and take on an oblong shape – for this, a trellis is needed,” the farmer explains the features of the cultivation technology.

As to the selection of varieties, Vladimir Zhdanov says there are about 50 of them. The most suitable for growing in Ukraine is the cylindrical luffa. It is most convenient for the further production of dishcloths and sponges.

Note that there are also sharp-ribbed varieties of luffa. They are used for growing young, unripe fruit eaten as cucumbers, in soups and curries.

Leaves, shoots, buds and flowers of sharp-ribbed luffa are also eaten. The leaves of the plant are rich in carotene: its content is about 1.5 times higher than that of carrots or bell peppers. Leaves contain 11 mg/100 g of iron, 95 mg/100 g of vitamin C, and up to 5% of protein.

In Japan, cosmetics are made from the juice of the luffa stem, in particular, high-quality lipstick.

The founder of Family Loofa also notes that luffa vine grows up to 5 meters in height. “However, in our farm we allow it to grow up to 2.5 meters – in this case, the care of the plant, in particular, of its garter, is much easier. In addition, harvesting is greatly simplified in this way.

As for the use of plant protection products in the cultivation of luffa, we try not to interfere with the natural process of crop growth as much as possible, and therefore we do not use chemicals,” notes Vladimir Zhdanov.

Luffa harvesting begins after the fruits are fully ripe, which their brown color indicates. Another characteristic feature of the maturity of luffa is the weight of the fruit – it is about 200 grams, which is 10 times less than at the stage of ripening. Moreover, the whole process of harvesting is done manually.

“After harvesting it needs to be cleaned – this is a very slow process. After cleaning, luffa turns into a washcloth. The next stage is packing by size. We sort luffa in 30×40 and 40×50 cm sizes, which we then sell as washcloths. In addition, we produce special dishwashing sponges. The price of one washcloth is 98 UAH, and a sponge – 25 UAH. We also sell plant seeds at 360 UAH/300 pcs,” the founder of FamilyLoofa says about the features of the business.

Plant seeds are widely sold on online trading platforms in Ukraine. Their price depends on the type of plant and the producer of the seed – from 4 UAH to 45 UAH for 5 pcs.

Luffa is also widely offered on the Russian market, where it is grown mainly in the southern regions. At the same time, the price of a natural purified culture with a size of 30×40 cm, which can be used as a washcloth, is 70 RUB/piece. A scrubber made of one-piece luffa with handles is sold at 90 RUB/piece. The cost of seed material on Russian online trading platforms is about 17 RUB for a package of 5 grains.

In Uzbekistan, where the plant can be grown throughout the country, luffa sponges are sold at 1860 UZS/piece. A 20 cm long cylindrical washcloth made from local luffa is sold at 8304 UZS/piece.

As to promoting their products, Vladimir Zhdanov notes that Family Loofa started with pages in social networks, Facebook and Instagram. “The main buyer of luffa is a person who is interested in natural products. There are a lot of such people in social networks. Later, we also created our own website FamilyLoofa.com, where the entire line of our products is presented today” sums up Vladimir Zhdanov.

Сообщение Luffa: a niche vegetable for food and eco-sponges появились сначала на EastFruit.

The season of the harvesting and sale of table grapes has started in Ukraine. As EastFruit previously reported, when analyzing the price situation on the Ukrainian table grape market, the price of white varieties literally collapsed compared to the same period in 2020.

Thus, the average wholesale price of white table grapes on the Ukrainian market was $0.94/kg as of the end of last week. In the same period in 2020, Ukrainian winegrowers could sell their products at a price twice as high.

As for the black varieties, the price difference with the last year’s indicators in this segment is smaller – today they are sold at $1.03/kg, while in the same period of 2020 – at $1.08/kg.

To learn more about the expectations of Ukrainian table grape producers in the current season, the prospects for the next year’s harvest, the most popular varieties, as well as why the cooperation of small market players is important read this article by EastFruit.

According to Tetiana Shmaglyuchenko, director of the VINS company producing table grapes (Ukraine, Odessa region), in 2021 Ukrainian winegrowers felt the consequences of the drought of the previous two years. For this reason, last year the planting of the crop for the current year was not successful. “We have some varieties that did not bring any harvest at all after winter this year, because the fruit-bearing shoots of the vine froze. This was observed not only in our farm. Thus, I cannot say that we are getting a large harvest of table grapes this year,” notes Tetiana Shmaglyuchenko.

Most Ukrainian winegrowers do not even reach the break-even point 

According to the director of the VINS company, some growers faced a situation when pollination was not successful enough due to rainy weather and bunches of grapes were not solid and did not look attractive enough. Also, because of rains in the current season, there have been many fungal diseases of grapes.

According to Tetiana Shmaglyuchenko, today the majority of Ukrainian vineyards do not even reach the break-even point, not to mention making a profit. Therefore, the growers are hoping for a more successful next season. “Of course, it is not guaranteed that next year the situation will improve, but by the shoots on the vine, we say that the harvest can be large. However, weather conditions and the market situation can also significantly affect production volumes” the market player notes.

Read also: Grape capital of Eastern Europe – Costesti, Moldova: village of multimillionaires (part 1)

The director of the VINS company emphasizes that the seedless variety Kish-mish is in the greatest demand on the Ukrainian market today, regardless of color and despite the fact that consumers are used to buying white Turkish grapes of this variety. “We are also growing black, and I hope we will bring the pink Kish-mish to the market next year. In addition, Ukrainian consumers often choose large marketable berries with a rich taste, for example, the “Libya” variety. Considering the natural environment of the south of Ukraine – the location of vineyards, temperature, and proximity to the sea – “Libya” has a pink tint in our country” notes Tetiana Shmaglyuchenko.

One of the main problems of Ukrainian winegrowers is the quality of planting material offered by local nurseries.

The VINS company is engaged in the cultivation of table grapes on a total area of ​​12 hectares. It plans to establish a plantation on additional 6 hectares. According to the director, the company is now focused not on processing, but primarily on the fresh market.

Tetiana Shmaglyuchenko considers the quality of planting material offered by local nurseries to be one of the main problems of Ukrainian winegrowers. European seedlings cannot always do well in Ukraine, due to differences in climatic conditions. “Here it is necessary to use the European experience, but adapt it to the needs of Ukrainian winegrowers. Therefore, we started creating our own nursery. For the third year in a row, we have been conducting field selection. We will grow planting material for our needs,” explains the director of the VINS company.

As Tetiana Shmaglyuchenko says, in order for grape business to succeed in Ukraine, the grower should have a good understanding of his sales market, since planting many varieties, while counting on selling the entire harvest on the domestic market, is no longer relevant.

“We need to move towards cooperation. There are great examples. For example, you can see how Turkish winegrowers form large enough batches. In the Moldavian Costesti, growers managed to unite to grow one variety. At the same time, they have become a noticeable player in the domestic market and export to Ukraine and the EU.

It is necessary to understand that operating in the market is always difficult for small producers, therefore they need cooperation” sums up Tetiana Shmaglyuchenko.

Photo from the archive of Tetiana Shmaglyuchenko

Сообщение Prices for the Ukrainian table grapes are declining: what do growers expect in the current season? появились сначала на EastFruit.

Lavender is called a Blue Gold in France. This perennial plant with fragrant buds in all shades of blue, dark blue, purple, as well as white, pink and soft green is becoming popular in the commercial growing segment. This is explained by the fact that lavender is used in pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic and other spheres, which makes the demand for this plant consistently high, and its production promising.

Lavender oil, lavender honey, lavender hydrolate, lavender bouquets, vacations and photo sessions in lavender fields – this is a non-exhaustive list of business ideas to implement by investing in lavender.

A competent business plan and marketing is important for starting a lavender growing business.

Experts note that the average yield of lavender, subject to the correct selection of cultivation technology and seed material, is 6,5–7 t/ha. From this harvest, you can get up to 100 kg of essential oil – the most valuable product of lavender processing.

The average wholesale price for lavender oil is about $ 50/kg, and the retail price is $ 80/kg in Ukraine. Thus, the entire harvest can be sold at $ 8-10 thousand. In addition, money can be earned from the sale of seeds or lavender seedlings.

“We cultivate the scent of happiness” – this is how the Ukrainian company “Lavandova Manufactura” says about lavender. This is a family-type farm that has been growing lavender angustifolia since 2019 and offers lavender planting material for sale. Lavandova Manufactura reports that the sales of seedlings start at the end of March (when frosts are no longer expected and the air temperature is stable at around 10 degrees above zero) and last until the end of April. As the company’s experts warn, planting lavender at the end of May, when it is already hot enough, is risky, but you should still have regard to the weather in your area. Lavender can also be planted in the fall – from late September to mid-November.

The business of lavender production will be promising, provided that it is grown on an area of ​​at least 1 hectare – both the producers of the planting material and farmers say this. In addition, equipment is needed to cultivate the land and about 13-18 thousand bushes of planting material, depending on the planting distance (0.3-0.6 m between plants and 1.2-1.6 m between rows). The most expensive purchase is planting material, as the price range for high-quality seedlings is $ 0.5-1 per plant (there are also lower-quality planting material offered at $ 0.3). However, costs can be saved by growing lavender from seeds on your own. Also, plant protection products are needed to cultivate the soil for industrial production of lavender.

Profit from growing lavender can be obtained in the first year, provided that the plantation was laid in September. If lavender was planted in the spring, it cannot be harvested the same year. This is because the harvest in the first year of planting will be small and will not recoup the costs of harvesting. In addition, the root system of the plant will still be insufficient for safe processing and propagation.

The business of growing lavender is only gaining momentum in Ukraine. There are no more than 20 growers engaged in the industrial production of this culture now. Olexandr Maslenko, owner of the Lavandova Manufactura, that has been growing lavender in Poltava (Ukraine) since 2019, spoke about what is most important in the production of lavender, what determines the success of this business, how promising the processing industry is, and why cooperation of all players in the EastFruit market will take place in the future.

“Tillage, planting patterns and seedling selection are the three main components of successful lavender production.”

The three most important components of successful cultivation of lavender, Olexandr notes, are the correct cultivation of the land, the choice of seedlings and the correct planting scheme.

“We have seedlings of standard, large and small sizes, which are subsequently grown. When we were making the first steps in growing lavender, we decided to plant the last type of seedlings,” Olexandr notes.

As to climatic conditions suitable for lavender, the owner of Lavandova Manufactura notes that according to the so-called map of frost resistance zones, they are the same in all regions of Ukraine, except for Odessa region, where climate is slightly milder.

“Lavender is a drought tolerant plant, but depending on the farmer’s objectives, it can be watered and fertilized. For instance, for the production of lavender oil, only natural ingredients like ash should be used as fertilizers. If growing lavender in large volumes, you need to think over the planting scheme in advance, taking into account the further possibility of mechanical cultivation of row spacings.

How to develop the correct planting scheme, necessary for calculating the number of seedlings per 1 ha? It should be noted that there are required limits. For example, the distance between the bushes should be 40-60 cm. We recommend exactly 40 cm. This is due to the fact that later, when the seedlings germinate, they intertwine with each other and then flower in the same line. If this distance is maintained, about 9 thousand seedlings are needed per 0.5 hectare.

As to the distance in the row spacings, it should be from 1.40 to 1.60 m, depending on the size of the equipment that will process the field.

As for our plantation, we originally planned it as an art object – 0.5 hectares of fields were planted in the form of the sun. We process this area manually – we have 3 workers for it. Our field is equipped with an irrigation system “Tuman” with a working width of 2.5 meters. We take water for irrigation from our own well,” Olexandr explains.

Regarding lavender varieties, Olexandr emphasizes that there are narrow-leaved, broad-leaved and hybrid varieties (lavandin). The company “Lavandova Manufactura” grows a narrow-leaved variety of English selection “Office”. In addition, a year ago, the company submitted documents for state registration of two varieties of lavender for creating a certified nursery.

“Industrially lavender should be cultivated on an area of ​​at least 5 hectares”

The main business model of Lavandova Manufactura, according to its owner, is based on the sale of seedlings, and the above-mentioned plantation is a kind of business in business. “Several types of lavender are planted there and the main goal is beauty for our visitors to relax.

In the current season, we have made only 40% of the planned volume. We want people to visit us to have a rest from the bustle of the city, make beautiful photo sessions. But our main goal is to conduct off-site wedding ceremonies,” the owner of the company notes.

At the moment, the company cultivates lavender in three locations: a demo field, a field for growing seedlings, and a field for exclusive lavender varieties.

“The main customers of our seedlings are mainly garden centers, because the survival rate of our seedlings is 96%. This testifies to the high quality of our products,” Olexandr explains.

If we talk about industrial cultivation for the subsequent processing of lavender, according to Olexandr, at least 5 hectares are needed for it. “In addition, in order to produce lavender oil, processing facilities, the so-called distillery, are needed in the nearest availability, since the plant must be processed within 24 hours after it is cut. Lavender is suitable for oil processing in 2-3 years after seedlings are planted – then the plant can produce oil for the next 10-15 years”, – Olexandr explains the nuances of the business, adding that the inflorescences and lavender bouquets can also be sold on the market.

The expert notes that lavender needs to be cut constantly for it not to grow up. “This plant develops in the form of a spherical shape precisely due to the fact that it is trimmed. How seedlings bloom depends on the branching of the bush,” the owner of Lavandova Manufactura explains.

Lavender seeds are planted in November. Their germination is affected by the quality of the planting material. Moreover, after germination, the plant needs careful care for about six months.

“As of planting seedlings, there are one-year and two-year material on sale. It is necessary to distinguish them, since large one-year-old seedlings can be sold as two-year-old. In order to see what our competitors offer we sometimes order two-year-old seedlings from them. Thus, we understand their advantages. By the way, once we ordered one-year-old seedlings, and instead we got a 5-year-old bush,” Olexandr says.

The cost of one-year seedlings in wholesale (from 500 pcs.) is 15 UAH/1 seedling, and for two-year plants – 24 UAH. “It should be borne in mind that a two-year-old seedling, like a one-year-old one, needs subsequent pruning three times a season. The first pruning of 1/3 of the seedling is made immediately after the seedling overwinters – the plant receives the stress necessary for further development,” the owner of Lavandova Manufactura explains.

Before being shipped to customers, the dug out seedlings in the Lavandova Manufactura form a kind of “bouquet” of 20-70 plants and are packed in bags wrapped with scotch tape to exclude air ingress. This packaging allows transporting seedlings for up to 1.5 weeks. Customers are provided with recommendations in the form of infographics on the correct planting and care for seedlings.

“Cooperation of the lavender market players is inevitable, but the market must be fully developed” 

Olexandr advises potential lavender growers to start growing crops in small areas – about 0.5 hectares. “You will gain experience – you will understand which seedlings tolerate winter well, what care they need, how to approach the cultivation process. There will be mistakes in any case, and it is in small areas that you will learn how to correct them before moving on to industrial cultivation,” Olexandr says.

If the seedlings are grown on sandy soil, it absorbs a lot of moisture. Therefore, watering is necessary.

Speaking about the main pests of lavender, Olexandr notes that it is a chafer. In addition, rainbow beetle and slugs are harmful to the plant. There is also a threat of fungal diseases of the plant.

A lavender field requires careful weed control. “For this purpose, we have sprayed our field with herbicide this season. After it the weeds dried up without any harm to the lavender – even if the herbicide got on the lavender bush, the leaves on the plant only turned yellow, but it did not die. Then we cultivated the aisles with a walk-behind tractor, leveled and sowed them with grass. Then there were rains, after which the grass we sown and weeds began to sprout. Thus, we saw that the effectiveness of the herbicide we used was low,” Olexandr says.

According to the owner of Lavandova Manufactura, the interest in the cultivation of lavender in Ukraine was fostered by tourist trips abroad – people saw how widespread the cultivation of this crop is, for instance, in France.

“A community of lavender growers is now emerging in Ukraine. Today there are few of them – there are no more than 20 lavender growers. In the future, the market will grow and not only seedlings and bouquets of lavender, but also products of its processing will be in demand. At the same time, cooperation of market players is inevitable, but for this the market should be fully developed,” Olexandr sums up.

How to make money in the production of lavender

The unique health benefits of lavender are driving high demand for the plant. Also, lavender is considered a good melliferous plant and lavender honey is expensive – an analysis of trading platforms by the EastFruit team shows that 250 grams of it cost about $ 5.51 in Ukraine. Thus, placing an apiary in a lavender field can generate additional income for the farmer.

Lavender also has insecticidal properties and is effective against pests such as the Colorado potato beetle and moths. Therefore, small lavender bushes are in demand, they are sold in horticultural centers and markets.

In addition, lavender, as we have already mentioned, is an aromatic plant the dried flowers of which can be sold in bouquets. A bouquet of 100 branches by Ukrainian growers is offered at $ 5.51 on Ukrainian online trading platforms.

The lavender hydrolat or the so-called “flower water”, which is widely used in cosmetology and medicine, is also demanded on the market. It is an aqueous solution of bioactive compounds of lavender, which is known for its relaxing, soothing, refreshing and rejuvenating properties. The cost of 100 ml of lavender hydrolate on the Ukrainian market is $ 5.51.

At the same time, the most expensive product of lavender processing is essential oil. The price of 5 ml of oil for cosmetic use reaches $ 2.38 in Ukraine. However, lavender growers point out that fake oil is often sold on the market – natural oil is diluted with a concentrate and sold as “pure” oil.

A similar product in Georgian online stores is offered at $ 4.36 per 10 ml, and in Uzbekistan – $ 7.15.

Russian online trading platforms also offer a wide range of lavender products. For example, 100 grams of lavender flowers produced in Tajikistan are sold at $ 2.68.

The business of selling lavender seedlings is also widely developed in the Russian market. The cost of one plant of the Dwarf Blue variety is $ 5.36.

In Moldova, where the climatic conditions are the best suited for growing lavender, selling lavender seeds is widely developed. Medicinal lavender seeds in 0.1 g package are offered to customers at $ 0.36.

The popularity of the “lavender” regions of the world is growing, attracting more and more tourists

Lavender is becoming increasingly popular every year. Lavender festivals are held annually in the French province of Provence, home to fantastic lavender fields. The dates usually depend on the location and period of the lavender harvest. The most famous lavender festivals take place in the villages of Valensole (July 15-20), Digne-les-Bains (early August) and the Saut plateau (mid-August).

For tourists who come to the province, special routes have been developed along iconic lavender places, which are called “Lavender Roads” (Les Routes de la Lavande).

Similar tourist programs are offered, for instance, in Hungary and Bulgaria, which are also famous for their lavender fields. In June 2021, the first lavender festival in Central Asia was held in the Fergana region of Uzbekistan.

The Murodjon Ota farm in Tursunzade (Tajikistan) also relies on the cultivation of lavender. Producers are confident that there are all necessary conditions for growing lavender in Tajikistan.

Tourism should be taken into account when making a business strategy for the lavender business – domestic tourism in various countries is becoming more widespread in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.

Lavender products are widely used in cosmetology and medicine

The plant belongs to essential oil and spice-aromatic crops. All its parts contain valuable essential oil (1.2-2.3%), which is in great demand all over the world as a component of the perfumery, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry.

There are quite a few components in essential oil, but the main ones are ethers – linalyl acetate and lavender-lyl acetate. In addition to essential oil, tannins, phenylcarboxylic acids (rosmarinic acid and its derivatives), hydroxycoumarins (umbelliferone, herniarin), phytosterols, coumarins and flavonoids were found in lavender inflorescences.

Lavender flowers, as well as essential oil, are included in the European Pharmacopoeia. Preparations from them act as a mild relaxing and sedative agent. Studies have established antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, fungicidal, insecticidal and acaricidal action.

In medicine, lavender is recommended for sleep disorders, functional digestive disorders, especially those associated with stress and irregular nutrition, irritable stomach syndrome, and is also used for circulatory disorders and rheumatic diseases.

In Bulgaria, lavender is used as a sedative for migraines. In Germany, inflorescences are also used for ointments production. In Austria, leaves collected before flowering are used as a soothing, anti-inflammatory and bile-thinning agent, and together with the flowers are kept in the wardrobe against moths. In Poland, lavender and chamomile are used for hoarseness and bronchitis, and in France, a decoction of flowers is considered a good choleretic and diuretic.

“Lavender growing and processing is almost waste-free production, as almost all its components can be used in food, cosmetics and medicine. At the same time, a well-built marketing and business strategy, the correct selection of varieties and cultivation technologies are the key to success for a lavender producer,” Kateryna Zvierieva, an international consultant to the UN FAO says.

Сообщение Interest in lavender production is just emerging in Ukraine and will further increase – opinion появились сначала на EastFruit.

All farmers dream of getting well-coloured fruits with a deep rich taste, but not all of them have such unique growing conditions and modern technological approaches as Greenco from Armenia. The company took part in EastFruit events and attracted our attention with its approach to the fruit business, which we would like to talk about. Greenco is actively increasing the production of premium apples, cherries and apricots and is actively looking for buyers for its unique products.

Since the company’s apple orchards are located in the mountains, at an altitude of 1700-1800 meters above sea level, sharp differences in night and day temperatures at 310-320 sunny days a year give fruits a premium colour, deep taste, high organoleptic qualities and a crispy texture. These fruits cannot fail to please the most demanding consumers.

Despite that Greenco is relatively young – only in 2017 the first 30 hectares of modern intensive orchards of apple, cherry and apricot were laid in the Ararat Valley, the company relies on the highest quality standards from cultivation to storage, post-harvest activities like sorting and marketing of products. The unique mild climate of the region, where the company’s orchards are located, allows to get the first harvest of late varieties of apples in early August, which gives it almost a month of advantage over suppliers from countries such as Ukraine or Moldova.

Today the company produces 2,000 tons of apples of the highest quality varieties Gala, Red Chief, Golden, Granny Smith, Fuji, Esmeralda, about 200 tons of local apricot Shalah and 50 tons of cherries of innovative Italian varieties of the “Sweet” family.

Thanks to the optical sorting of apples and a modern storage facility with a regulated gaseous medium (RGS) with a capacity of 3,000 tons, Greenco sells apples 8 months a year – from the end of July (Gala variety) to April. Almost all of the company’s products are exported to Russia and Ukraine. Large retail chains of the Russian Federation such as X5 and JSC Thunder are among the company’s clients. Greenco also has experience in exporting cherries to the Middle East, where the company sees significant export opportunities.

Greenco is actively looking for opportunities to diversify exports and believes that the unique quality of Armenian fruit will be of interest not only to buyers in Russia and Ukraine, but also in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Southeast Asia and the European Union.

From the very beginning, the Greenco project aimed at producing high-quality products for foreign markets, so the company invested in the implementation of a high-tech solution from the Italian company Advice & Consulting S.R.L. Based on soil and climate analyses, certified virus-free seedlings were selected and delivered, high-tech support and protection systems against hail and rain, a fully automated drip irrigation and fertigation system were installed, which allows to introduce necessary nutrients into the water at the right time. All the above components meet the highest standards of modern horticulture to ensure premium quality and environmental friendliness of the fruit grown.

In addition, at Greenco farms there are meteorological stations, electronic pest traps, sensors for determining the need for watering, information from which is analysed by agronomists of Advice & Consulting SRL. The system allows managing the farm from a smartphone, while ensuring high quality products and careful monitoring of the farm, which will soon be confirmed by an international certificate Global G.A.P. The implementation of the standard has been delayed a bit due to the pandemic, but will be finished by the start of the new season.

The company plans to further expand the range and volume of fruit grown and exported. By 2024, Greenco will supply about 5,000 tons of apples, 450 tons of cherries, 300 tons of table grapes and 300 tons of famous Armenian apricots.

Next season delivery of high-quality cherries will be ensured by reducing the internal temperature of the fruit to + 2- + 5 degrees with a hydrocooling system to be purchased in 2022. This means that the company’s cherries can be delivered to almost any country in the world. The company also plans to launch the production of freshly squeezed apple juice up to 20-30 tons.

Сообщение Greenco from Armenia offers apples, cherries and apricots of an unique mountain taste появились сначала на EastFruit.

The Ukrainian company Organic-D has started growing “borsch set” vegetables in 2018. The company supplies products to large retail chains in Ukraine and is negotiating with importers to access the foreign markets. Vadim Krychkovsky, co-founder and director of the company is confident that with the development of exports, producers of fruits and vegetables could be competitive. The company cultivates about 1000 hectares of land today. 200 hectares are used for growing vegetables.

The company plans to increase the area planted with vegetable crops to 300 hectares by 2023. Vadim Krychkovsky, director of Organic-D, has told about the peculiarities of running a vegetable business in Ukraine. He has also talked about the success of the company and its plans to enter export markets.

“We are guided by the main principle — food safety and high quality. In Ukraine agricultural companies used to pay much less attention to the environment, ecological production, minimization of fertilizers, and a rational and careful treatment of soil. However, now the trend is to be as safe and high-quality as possible. This brings an economic effect and allows to trade not only in Ukraine but on export markets, as well,” Vadym Krychkovsky said.

“Organic-D ” began to cooperate with international retailers ‘Metro, Auchan, and carried out the first deliveries to the hypermarket Epicenter in Ukraine this year. To meet the requirements and high standards of retail, the company has certified its products according to the GLOBAL G.A.P standard.

“This is the requirement of the chains. It took some effort and some investment. After that, retailers saw that the quality of our products was certified by European certification bodies. If you cooperate with a powerful retailer, the others also start paying attention to you and offer cooperation. The main thing is to go through all the stages (certification, etc.), get to work with retail chains, fulfill their requirements and deliver quality products on time. In this case, cooperation can be quite profitable,” — Vadym said.

He notes that one of the company’s goals is to change the domestic market so that not wholesale buyers set a pricing policy, but producers can grow high-quality products and independently determine where to sell them.

“Retailers are ready to pay even more for potatoes of the same quality as we make, but they would not buy substandard farm potatoes (infected with diseases, non-marketable type) even at 5 UAH/kg. Therefore, we often cooperate with local producers, consult, and give them access to technologies so that they can enter the domestic market together with us and sell products at a good price”, said Vadym Krychkovsky.

The company is present on the market of the Vinnytsia region of Ukraine in the segment of “borsch set vegetables” and continues to increase production volumes to successfully expand its market share in Kyiv and central regions of Ukraine, as well as enter export markets.

“To achieve the goal, we need to sell about 20 thousand tons of products per season. The company produces about 8 thousand tons of products today, so there is room for improvement”, the director of the company explains.

The company considers international trade and exports as the main step. Negotiations on exports to the United Arab Emirates are underway, as well as negotiations with partners in Uzbekistan. Negotiations on supplies to Belarus have been suspended due to the socio-political situation in the country.

“We are also interested in the European market, but the difficulty lies in the fact that the EU legislation requires that the products exported must be washed. Technically, we do not know how to deliver washed products to distant destinations yet. We are focusing on two products now — onions and potatoes. There is a demand for such products in Poland. However, we are primarily focused on deliveries to the UAE. The advantages of the external market are stable contracts in foreign currency. Export looks very interesting considering the “floating” Ukrainian market”, said Vadym.

About the advantages of Organic-D, he said: “We have two main competitive advantages —  price and quality of products. We also have a GLOBAL G.A.P certificate required for export. We grow modern hybrids and varieties of vegetables of foreign selection. For example, French-bred Clause carrots, Japanese-bred beets (from Sakata), German-bred potatoes (Europlant). These varieties are expensive, but there is the opportunity to have higher yields. Vegetables and potatoes also have better taste and an attractive appearance”.

The company is also trying to replace chemical fertilizers with organic ones. According to Vadym Krychkovsky, this allows not only to improve the quality of products but also to reduce the cost of production, because the prices for mineral fertilizers rise by 20-30% annually.

Сообщение Organic D is planning to export quality onions, carrots and potatoes to the UAE and EU появились сначала на EastFruit.

FCO, a major Georgian blueberry producer working mainly for export, intends to enter the high-price and premium segments of the global market this year. The company’s products will be traded under the GeorgianBlue brand from now on.

FCO LLC, located in the village of Laituri, Ozurgeti region (Guria region, Western Georgia), is currently producing blueberries on 36 hectares. The company received the Global G.A.P. GRASP certificate for blueberries in 2020. The company owns another 290 hectares of agricultural land to be converted gradually in the same region. In particular, FCO plans to increase the area of ​​blueberry plantation to 260 hectares in the next 4-5 years.

“The company has focused on improving the post-harvest infrastructure on the eve of the new season. In particular, we have installed a modern rapid pre-cooling system on our farm. We expect the latest equipment for sorting and packaging blueberries to be delivered from the USA by the end of April, which will allow sorting berries both by size and softness, and packing them into containers of various shapes and sizes – 125 grams, 250 grams, 500 grams, etc. We already have refrigerated units for storage. So, the company will enter the new season with a completely developed post-harvest infrastructure that comply with international standards. In addition, with the new brand our products will be recognizable both in the local and export markets – they will be presented under the GeorgianBlue brand (“GeorgianBlue – Finest Blueberries from the hills of Guria”). All this, together with the volume and growing global demand for blueberries, will allow us to successfully cooperate with high-level foreign buyers –  supermarket chains and other large foreign traders that value quality and are ready to pay more,” FCO representative Rati Morchiladze told EastFruit .

Read also: Georgian farmer successfully develops berry business thanks to support from EU-funded project

According to Rati Morchiladze, the company plans to export its products to the markets of the EU countries, Great Britain, Russia and the Persian Gulf this season.

“We are now negotiating with large buyers from these countries. The demand is high and they are putting forward attractive offers for us. According to our preliminary estimates, we will export at least 95% of all our products this year,” he said.

According to the current forecast of the FCO company, it will start the blueberry season this year in early June – 4-5 days later than last year due to weather conditions. “However, the timing of the start of the harvest may still change – it will depend on the weather conditions in the second half of spring”, – a company representative said.

As Rati Morchiladze said, the company will set up a collection point for blueberries from farmers in the Guria region this year for the first time.

“This will help them sell their products, and for us to have larger volumes of export shipments. A proper quality control mechanism has been introduced in our production, and sorting will be available. Finished products, depending on the quality, will be sold through the appropriate channels,” he said.

According to the company’s plans, this season it intends to sell about 300 tons of blueberries, 180 tons of which will be its own harvest, and the rest will be purchases from local farmers.

“We will gradually expand our blueberry plantation, and accordingly, our yields will grow. We are sure that in a few years GeorgianBlue will take a leading position in the export of Georgian agricultural products and become a worthy participant in the international blueberry market,” Rati Morchiladze noted.

Сообщение Georgian blueberry producer FCO aim to export on the premium segment with “GeorgianBlue” brand появились сначала на EastFruit.

Apple, strawberry, peaches, cherry growers and investment funds are stepping into the blueberry business and this is not only because they taste very well…

The Blueberry consumption globally is increasing at a high speed. The IBO (International Blueberry Organisation) assume the consumption will double from 1mln ton to 2mln tonnes in 7 to 10 years. This is massive and a couple of actions has to be taken to provide the volumes.

If we focus on Europe and Central Asia, this means this region has to plant 22.000 ha to cover the consumer need and this will not be enough as old varieties has to be replanted.

Why are blueberries interesting?

a) For the consumers

It is easy to eat and very healthy as it is one of the few Superfruits with a high content on antioxidants, so health research is the best promoter for the fruit.

Additionally, and this is different with some other Superfruits, the taste is loved by all consumer categories: Sweet with a light touch of acidity. In the US consumers eat on average 1,2 kg per Capita; European consumption was growing the last 2 years with more than 20% and reaching now already 250g per capita. The projections are to go to more than 900g within the next 6-8 years, mainly driven by the combination of Health and taste.

Consumers around the world continue to hear about new & positive health benefits of including blueberries in their diet.

Recently new health research (the Circles study – US) was published and it is scientific proven that Blueberries will lower the Risk of Alzheimer Disease and/or Dementia as well as on Type 2 Diabetes.

b) For the Grower/investor

The new genetics and varieties of Blueberries will give higher yields and higher prices.

If you want to compare your actual crop (apples, cherries…) to blueberries, you must reach with new planting techniques and varieties minimum 20 ton per ha and 25 ton must be achievable if you are a good grower (today the Eastern European average is about 8-10 ton her ha). Selling prices of Blueberries are much higher compared to all other local fruit. According to EastFruit price monitoring, average producers’ blueberry prices in Ukraine in the current season were 18 times as high per kg as prices of apples (215 UAH for blueberries vs 11.7 UAH for apples), in Georgia and Poland farmers got 13 times more per each kg of blueberries than per kg pf apples (14.2 GEL vs 1.1 GEL and 21.4 PLN vs 1.6 PLN correspondingly). Fall Creek has agronomists and economists in their teams to compare potential and business plans with you.

A blueberry plant will grow easily for 15 years and the Return on investment is rather short compared to other crops.

Key to success is to choose the right varieties: most of the old varieties are good ‘in the field’ but a modern fresh fruit supply chain to deliver the European, Russian or Azian consumer needs more than taste on the bush: today you need a firm berry after 30 days shipping/transport to arrive in good conditions to sell to the consumers. On top we see the consumers prefer a good tasting berry (no surprise) and preferably uniform size so like in other fresh categories: uniform constant quality.

c) For a supermarket/consumer

The supermarkets see the category growing rapidly and in the UK the Blueberry category today is bigger in Value than Strawberries (lower volumes but higher prices). The UK consumption is already above 1 kg per capita and mainly driven by quality: In order to improve quality supermarkets ban old varieties such as Chandler, BlueCrop, Eliott… this has a big impact on old plantations and is at the other side a big opportunity for newcomers in the industry: if they plant the right and new varieties, they can be sure of the interest of supermarkets: firm, crunchy and tasteful will be the key words.

Why is Eastern Europe/Central Asia interesting?

If you are based in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Georgia… you have different strong assets to believe you can win with Blueberries:

1. Location: Central Asia has not stolen its name: it is quite central towards Europe, Asia and Russia. This gives these countries different export opportunities.
2. Labour: is maybe the biggest advantage: labor in general is cheaper compared to other production area’s and on top, Europe has big difficulties to find labour to harvest the fruit and so expansion is limited.
3. Land: the availability is low, and cost of agricultural land is high in Europe and growers have hard time to find land to expand.

Which varieties and how to select?

Varieties are a big part of the success: you can grow most of the blueberry plants where you want but this does not mean you get the best yield or blueberry.

In blueberries you have 4 basic categories, based on their needed chill hours: High Chill (Northern Highbush), Mid Chill, Low Chill (Southern Highbush) and Zero Chill. A good climate analyses is needed to select your right cluster. Fall Creek is the only supplier who is able to offer a full assortment for all chill levels so we honestly can offer the best varieties for your situation – says Hans Liekens, Commercial Director at Fall Creek.

Fall Creek produces yearly over the 30 million plants and commercializes more than 200 varieties globally. If you are interested to discuss your project or opportunities with Fall Creek, you can visit http://www.fallcreeknursery.com/

Сообщение Investing in Blueberries. What? Why? появились сначала на EastFruit.