At the beginning of June 2021, the first green fresh peas were sold at 70-80 MDL/ kg ($ 3.93-7.50 / kg) in the Moldovan small fruit and vegetable stores. In the stalls nearby, cucumbers, which sellers recommended to buyers as “our Spring”, were offered for the same price. On the other side of the counters, the same price tag was displayed for imported strawberries. At the beginning of the last decade of the first month of summer in the Chisinau fruit and vegetable markets, “just a cucumber” can be found at 5-8 MDL / kg ($ 0.28-4.50 / kg), both in retail and in small wholesale. “Spring” is still several lei more expensive. For green fresh peas, even a little “sour”, the retail price does not fall below 15-20 MDL / kg ($ 0.84-1.12 / kg). Beautiful, fresh and young peas in street fruit and vegetable stalls and tents can cost 30-40 MDL / kg ($ 1.68-2.25 / kg). Isn’t it a niche?

At the same time, the wholesale price for green fresh peas is formed only when they become raw materials. In Moldova, two large canning factories purchase relatively large quantities of green fresh peas for the production of canned “green peas”. Another large cannery grows it on its own fields,  and two or three factories on both banks of the Dniester grow and buy vegetable peas only for freezing. According to the representatives of the Speranța Con Association of Canned Fruit and Vegetable Producers, in 2021, compared to the last dry and extremely unsuccessful year, the cultivation of vegetable peas in the country increased by 30-50% – to about 1,000 hectares. The price for processing grade product has increased in comparison with its last year level by an average of 0.5 MDL / kg – up to 5 MDL/ kg. Due to the rains, the mechanical harvesting of this crop is even more difficult.

Some experts in the Moldovan fruit-growing industry believe that extra-early green fresh peas could really become a niche crop of “small areas” for small farmers who have land in inconveniences – for example, on steep slopes and at the foot of hills. It is probably possible to grow peas both under agril and in greenhouses – as a second or third crop.

However, if the areas cultivated with green fresh peas grow to the level of five or seven years ago – that is, up to 4-5 thousand hectares – its “niche” will quickly disappear. However, the Speranța Con Association believes that, given the current production and commercial reality, under the best conditions, the area of ​​irrigated land under vegetable peas in the country will hardly exceed 2 thousand hectares.

Сообщение Can green fresh peas become a niche product on the fresh produce market in Moldova? появились сначала на EastFruit.

Subhi Vatan LLC (ООО «Субхи ватан» in Russian) is a small but well-known company in Isfara, Tajikistan. The company produces dried and canned fruits and vegetables. In 2020, its production increased by more than 500,000 somonis ($44,200) compared to 2019 and the total volume of its products manufactured amounted to more than 3.1 million somonis ($274,000).

More than half of its products were exported abroad. Thus, 64.4 tons of dried fruits were shipped for a total of $32,900 to Turkey, 11 tons for $2,500 to Kazakhstan, and Belarus bought 40 tons of dried fruits from Subhi Vatan for $44,800.

Last year, the company significantly expanded its product range. Various juices, jams, and baby foods made from apricots, apples, pears, and plums, which were supplemented with cream bases such as honey, walnuts and honey, lemon with ginger, and pickled hot peppers.

Read also: Tajik company Subhi Watan increased exports to the United States in 2020 

According to the company’s technologist Irina Arutina, the green walnut jam is in great demand. Armenian colleagues shared the recipe and technology for its preparation with Abdumannon Ermatov, the director of Subhi Vatan, when he visited Armenia as part of a delegation from the Sughd region in 2019.

Representatives of Subhi Vatan often take part in international exhibitions and fairs of fruit and vegetable products. In 2020, they participated in online fairs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their excellent product quality and contacts from these fairs allowed the company to provide products in both domestic and foreign markets in 2020. Under the Shirin Premium brand, the company sold 163.7 tons of various canned products in the amount of $43,300 to Kazakhstan. A total of 21.5 tons of various canned fruits in the amount of $6,700 were delivered to Ukraine and neighbouring Kyrgyzstan purchased 65.6 tons of canned products from Subhi Vatan for a total of $16,600. Also, exports of various juices increased due to the fact that they are bottled in modern glass bottles with a capacity of 750 grams.

Irina Aryutina also announced that Subhi Vatan purchases various fruit and vegetable products for processing on a contractual basis from farms all across Tajikistan. Last year, consignments of dried mulberries, apples, and apricot kernels were purchased in southern Tajikistan and in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO).

Currently, Subhi Vatan provides permanent jobs and decent wages to more than 60 people.

Сообщение Tajik fruit and vegetable processor expanded product range and increased exports появились сначала на EastFruit.

The cuisine of the countries of Central Asia, and, in particular, Tajikistan, is rich in unique and wholesome products that can have great export potential. Demand for ethnic superfoods with pronounced beneficial properties in developed countries such as the United States and the European Union is very high. One of these products that can be classified as a superfood is mountain anzur onion.

The name “anzur” refers to several related species of mountain onions also known as “giant onions”, “stalked onions” and “onions of Suvorov.” This is a perennial herb and onion family (lat. Allium oreoprasum). It is believed that the homeland of this onion is the north of Tajikistan. There are numerous legends that the consumption of anzur onion allowed saving whole armies from scurvy and other diseases.

Population harvest anzur onion in the mountains of Tajikistan. It is used for home preservation and also sold at canneries. Canneries pay $0.6 per kg of raw anzur onion. The price of the finished product in a 1-liter jar is $1.7 (600 grams.). The price of the product on store shelves and in markets for 1 kg is $2.5. The wholesale price for pickled onions ranges from $2.0 to 2.2 per kilo.

Considering that intensive onion harvesting in the mountains has led to a significant decrease in its presence in the wild nature, scientists are actively working to create varieties suitable for cultivation on an industrial scale. Raw anzur onion harvested in the mountains is completely unsuitable for consumption because it has an unpleasant odor. This is due to the high content of essential oil, which gives the raw bulbs a strong sulfurous smell. To get rid of the smell, in Tajikistan anzur is soaked for 40 days in salted water, the water being constantly changed. After the smell disappears, the onions can be pickled.

A marinade, as a rule, consists of the following components: water, salt, sugar, acetic acid, dill, and black peppercorns. Sometimes bay leaf and dried dill are also added.

As for taste, pickled anzur onions resemble radishes rather than onions. For the person who tasted it for the first time in a pickled form, it is something between good pickled cucumbers and sauerkraut. Anzur is at the same time acidic due to pickling and has a pungency like most types of onions.

The pickled onions stimulate appetite, so it is often used as a snack before the main course. Onions in Tajikistan are served, as a rule, separately from other dishes. It is used both as a separate snack and as a component of vegetable salads.

The color of anzur onion is milky white. The onion can be whole, but it can also have cloves, like garlic. The leaves of anzur are similar to the leaves of a tulip. Depending on where the anzur onion grew, its taste may differ. However, for those who consume little of it, the difference in tastes may be almost not noticeable.

In Tajikistan, according to Bakhtiyor Abduvohidov, an international consultant to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), onions are traditionally compared to ginseng for their beneficial properties. This is a medicinal plant that contains many carotenoids, vitamins B, B1, PP, C, D, and E. “We also take it as a medicinal plant to strengthen the stomach, improve vision and hearing, and even to relieve headaches. Squeezed juice of anzur treat rheumatism. In folk medicine, onions are often recommended for the treatment of male infertility and impotence. It is believed that it also strengthens non-specific immunity,” says Bakhtiyor Abdukhukhidov.

Anzur onion is already actively exported from Tajikistan to many countries. This year, on the shelves of the USA and Estonia, pickled anzur onion by the Subhi Vatan company was available for the customers.

Anzur onion is undoubtedly a promising product, the export of which can be successfully developed. Particularly promising is the increase in industrial production of anzur onions on the background of decreasing exports of ordinary yellow onions from Tajikistan. This product can be an alternative to the yellow onion and, at the same time, one of the calling cards and national pride of Tajikistan.

Сообщение Exports of Anzur onion: promising superfood from Tajikistan появились сначала на EastFruit.

It is widely known that grapes are used to produce wine, but when thinking of profiting from grapes, grape leaves are usually not taken into account. However, grape leaves become an essential contributor to the rising incomes of villagers. EastFruit experts, with the help of Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov, an international consultant of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), explain everything about the grape leaf market, harvesting industry, and prospects for its export. 

Dolma is one of the most popular dishes in the world, which is consumed in countries of Central Asia, Caucasus, Balkans, Middle East, etc. According to various estimates, 2.5 to 4 million people living in Germany are immigrants from the Balkans or Turkish origin. This fact explains the popularity of dolma in Germany. Several million Central Asian residents living in Russia have also made dolma popular in that region. Dolma contains rice, vegetables, and, sometimes, meat wrapped in a grape leaf. The calling card of Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, etc.) is pilaf. While cooking pilaf, grape leaves are also used. As a rule, meat and onions are wrapped in grape leaves and put them on pilaf.

Given that pilaf and dolma are consumed during a year, only young grape leaves are suitable for these purposes. There is a developing industry for the harvesting, preserving, and pickling of grape leaves. In addition, people also harvest grape leaves in their households during a season to consume it throughout the year.

We became interested in this topic after a request received on the EastFruit Trade Platform to purchase a large volume of canned grape leaves for Bulgaria. It turned out that no one can offer large volumes of this product in Central Asia, Moldova, or Georgia, where many grapes grow and are consumed. At the same time, grape leaves in Central Asia countries can always be bought in markets and even in food stores. 

Where does it come from?

Harvesting Grape Leaves

Grape leaves in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are usually harvested from April to June and only from young shoots of the vine. The collected leaves should be soft and tender to prepare and chew it properly. Young leaves should be convenient to wrap the filling in them. Traditionally, grape leaves are consumed from April to June, during a period when young leaves can be found in the vineyard.

The leaves are sorted into two sizes: small leaves are used for pilaf (they used to wrap the meat with onions), and large leaves are used for dolma production. The largest volumes of harvesting and processing of grape leaves in Central Asia are concentrated in the Ferghana Valley. Harvested leaves are purchased by canneries at a price of 5-6 somoni (from 50 to 65 US cents per kg). To stop the growth of the plant for several weeks and redistribute the nutrients to the formation of clusters, grapes are pinched. 

Processing and Conservation

Collected grape leaves are recycled to canneries. They are rolled up in one-liter jars. After processing (salting, pickles), these products are sold at 8-10 somoni per can (about $ 1). The prime cost of the can itself is 2 somoni, and in it, apart from the brine, another 400-600 grams of leaves are placed.

For their own needs and for artisanal, non-industrial, processing, grape leaves are washed after harvesting, placed in PET bottles, and closed with a lid. Thus, the grape leaf can be stored for a sufficiently long time, until the next season. The cost of such a product is about $ 0.8 per 400 grams (this amount fits in a 1.5 liter PET bottle). Of course, such a product is sold exclusively within the country.

The wholesale price for pickled grape leaves is $ 1 per kg. Also, leaves are sold to the people by weight in small retail. The price in small retail is $ 0.15 – 0.20 per 100 grams, that is, up to two dollars per kg.

Grape Leaf Exports

Processing enterprises sell canned grape leaves to both domestic and foreign markets. Several managers of canneries we interviewed estimated the existing export of 120-150 tons of leaves per year. Moreover, several tons of canned grape leaves were shipped to the United States in 2019 by Subhi Watan from Isfara. Moreover, the EAEU is the main market.

Canneries in Central Asia believe that preserving grape leaves is a promising growing business. Two years ago, according to Bakhtiyor Abduvohidov, in Tajikistan, there were active attempts to organize leaf collection by entrepreneurs from Turkey and Afghanistan. There were orders from 20 to 40 tons and even more. The price requested by the Turks was 6 somoni per kg of a fresh leaf (65 US cents per kg). However, the farmers of the Gissar Valley did not agree to work under these conditions, and it was obviously unprofitable to pay a higher price to buyers.

Grape Leaves Market Volume

Bakhtiyor Abdukhukhidov estimates the consumption of grape leaves in Tajikistan at 2 thousand tons. Considering retail prices, this is approximately $ 3 million. The bulk of the grape leaf is harvested by the population. Therefore, this business is unlikely to bring more than $ 500-700 thousand to those who sell the grape leaves for the needs of the domestic market. Uzbekistan’s market for the sale of canned and pickled grape leaves is much larger, and it can be estimated at approximately $ 3-4 million.

Andrei Yarmak, an economist at the FAO Investment Department, believes that the global grape leaf market is huge, but its international trade is very poorly developed, because the leaf is consumed, as a rule, where it grows. However, in Germany, according to various estimates, about 2 million servings of kebab are sold daily, and in establishments where they sell kebab, they usually sell dolma. Therefore, Germany is a promising market for canned grape leaf or frozen ready-made dolma. However, the finished product will be much more difficult to deliver, especially with meat inside, due to the strict rules for access to the EU meat markets. According to the expert, the grape leaf market will grow even in Central Asian countries as population incomes increase. High rates of urbanization will not allow the population to independently harvest grape leaf in the same volumes, so consumers will have to buy it in markets and in supermarkets.

In connection with these processors, it will be beneficial to study the markets for canned grape leaves outside their own countries. Therefore, exports will also grow.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Grape Leaves

Grapes are considered a sacred plant in many countries of the world. Those countries where the grape leaf is consumed considers it very healthy. A grape leaf is a very low-calorie product. Even in canned form, grape leaves are rich in vitamins A, C, B, as well as minerals such as manganese, magnesium, iron, and calcium. Only 30 grams of grape leaves will provide the body with a daily norm of vitamin A. It is believed that regular consumption of grape leaves improves the condition of the skin and hair, reduces the risk of strokes and cardiovascular diseases, and also contributes to the production of the most powerful antioxidant resveratrol in the body.

Grape leaves are not only tasty but also profitable products. So the grape leaf market has a promising future!

Сообщение Grape leaf as a business or how much money Dolma brings появились сначала на EastFruit.