The EastFruit international team pays special attention to niche crops that allow small farmers to make good money, as well as the nut market. Pecan is 2-in-1 – it is both a niche nut that can grow in some countries of the region, and an unpretentious crop that can bring very good income even to small producers. Of course, there are many nuances in the pecans growing and processing business, which we will talk about with our experts today.

Are there pecans in Georgia?

Yes, in addition to the most popular nuts in the world – almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts and pistachios – the so-called “American nut” pecans also grow in Georgia. It was originally brought to Georgia as a timber crop, but now it appears that European hazelnut importers are also interested in Georgian pecans. Although there are no commercial plantations in the country yet, this nut is already harvested and processed for export to traditional markets – namely the EU countries and China.

What are pecans and why is it worth paying attention to?

Pecans are similar to walnuts visually and in their properties, but pecans are richer in fat. Pecans contain a large amount of monounsaturated fats (Omega-9), in particular, oleic acid, which helps to reduce the content of bad cholesterol in human blood and increase the good one. Pecans are widely used in cooking, added to pastries, desserts, fish, mushroom and even dairy dishes. However, pecans are also popular raw or roasted as a snack, added to salads, or mixed with other nuts and dried fruits.

Which countries are the leaders in the production and export of pecans?

The pecans are native to North America. In fact, two countries currently control the global production of these nuts. Mexico provides about 49% and the US about 41% of the world’s total pecan production. The remaining 8% are produced in South Africa (6%), Brazil (1%) and Australia (1%).

It should be noted that the global area and production of pecans is quite modest compared to other nut crops. In the 2020/21 season, global production of inshell pecans was only 166.4 thousand tonnes, or about 3% of the production of other nuts. Despite this, the production of pecans is growing faster than the production of most other nuts. Only macadamia and walnut outperform pecans in terms of relative yield growth rates. Over the past 10 years, pecans production in the world has been increasing by an average of 7.4 thousand tonnes annually.

Naturally, the main exporters of pecans are Mexico and the United States, as well as South Africa, which supplies mainly inshell pecans. The top importer of Mexican pecans is the US. The top buyers of US pecan kernels are the EU and the UK accounting for 51% of shipments, and Canada, which bought 8% of all pecans exported from the US in 2019. Since the United States has a very large domestic market, more than 70% of pecans grown are consumed there. One of the largest importers of inshell pecans now is China.

Until July 2018, China was the largest importer of US pecans with a share of over 30% by volume. US pecan exports to China have been on the rise since 2006, and total pecans exports to China in the 2012/13 season reached nearly 37 000 tonnes. However, the trade wars between the US and China that began in 2018 resulted in a 47% import duty on US pecan exports to China, making them unprofitable. Thus, the largest trading partner of the United States has become one of the smallest with a share of less than 6% in the structure of pecan exports from the United States. As a result, China cut pecan imports by more than 80% in the 2018/19 season.

Although later deliveries to China were partially unblocked, the largest increase in demand is observed in the EU countries. Here are the most attractive prices for pecans, fluctuating in wholesale from 8 to 12 EUR/kg of kernels.

In what regions can pecans be grown in Georgia and why is it interesting for investors?

Georgia, which has significant experience in growing and exporting various nuts, has just begun to take the first steps in the commercialization of pecans production. Considering that the country successfully trades with both the EU and China under free trade agreements, the development of this sector can be promising.

Pecans has been growing in Georgia since the beginning of the 20th century. You can find trees on the Black Sea coast that were planted more than 100 years ago, as a pecans tree can live up to 300 years. The selection of adapted pecans varieties began in Georgia in the 1950s-70s, and scientific and practical work on pecans got a second wind in the early 2000s. Since pecans begins to bear fruit late, in 10–15 years, the results of this work have begun to be received only now.

The main area of ​​distribution of pecans in Georgia is the Black Sea coast – Abasha, Khobi, Samtredia, Kobuleti regions, as well as Lagodekhi in Eastern Georgia. These regions are characterized by a long growing season, and walnut yields can reach up to 50–60 kg per tree. Therefore, planning for the commercial production of pecans is advisable to start in these regions. However, it is also worth exploring and testing pecans in other subtropical microzones of Georgia.

According to Zviad Bobokashvili, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Head of the Fruit Growing Research Department of the Agricultural Research Center of Georgia, one of the bases for the commercial production of pecan is the organization of varietal production of grafted pecans seedlings. Pecans seedlings are usually used for rootstock. They are not produced in Georgia now, but there has been such experience.

Are there any prospects for the commercial production of pecans in Georgia?

“At this stage, it is important to understand not only how to produce, but also what to produce,” says Zviad Bobokashvili. “Pecans are a cross-pollinated crop, so highly productive adaptive pairs of appropriate varieties should be selected, which is the main prerequisite for the development of commercial production in Georgia,” said Dr. Bobokashvili.

According to the expert, at the first stage it is worth introducing and testing varieties that have been obtained by breeding over the past 20 years in the United States, such as Wichita, Pawnee, Navaho and others. After that, you can start the production and reproduction of pecans in Georgia.

There is a noteworthy experience of growing pecans in the state of Texas (USA) and in South Africa, where they are planted in intensive orchards. High-density pecans plantings can help overcome the problem of early commercial nut yields, as well as using a contour pruning technique that controls tree height. Indeed, with a traditional planting pattern of 12×12 m or 15×15 m, a pecan tree usually reaches up to 30-35 meters in height. On the other hand, this feature of pecan reduces the pathogenic load on the crop – some pests cannot reach the top of the tree and damage the crop.

“Since pecans are a relatively new crop for Georgia, and there are no concentrated industrial plantings of pecan in the country, few pathogens have been detected. This means that they can be successfully controlled,” Mr. Bobokashvili explains the benefits of growing pecans in Georgia. In addition, there is special equipment to spray tall pecans trees.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of pecans for Georgian farmers?

The main limiting factor in the development of pecans industry is a relatively low yield – 1.5-2.0 tonnes per hectare and a long period before entering full fruiting – 12-14 years with a traditional planting pattern. This makes pecans less of an investment-attractive nut crop when compared to hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, or pistachios. At the same time, there is a positive experience of adapting it to the climatic conditions of Georgia and processing. Also, the pecans kernel yield is higher than that of walnut and reaches 55–58%.

In Georgia, pecans are harvested from November until Christmas. According to producers’ forecasts, current Georgia’s production potential is 150 tonnes of pecans per year. However, since there is no industrial production of pecans in Georgia, there is also no varietal gradation, which is desirable for export. Thus, it affects the export price.

How are pecans processed, dried, cracked and stored?

After harvesting, pecans are dried at room temperature and calibrated. The largest caliber is nuts with a diameter of more than 23 mm. Pecans are considered dry if they contain 6% moisture. Calibrated nuts should be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature above 0 degrees Celsius, as pecans quickly deteriorate due to the high oil content.

The shell of a pecan is harder than that of a walnut. At the moment, the only company in the country that cracks pecans is the Georgian Renaissance Group, which has invested in special equipment for pecans cracking.

The EastFruit team studied how pecans are harvested and processed for export at a facility in the village of Tela, Lagodekhi municipality, Georgia. The company buys mainly wild pecans from consolidators in the Kakheti region, calibrates, dries and cracks. After cracking, pecans are manually taken out of the shell, and kernels are vacuum-packed into polyethylene bags. In this form, pecans are exported in refrigerated containers.

What countries could be promising markets for the Georgian pecans?

The Georgian Renaissance Group exported the first batch of pecan kernels to the EU (Poland) in 2020. The European Union remains the target market for the pecan this year, but the company is also negotiating with Chinese importers who are interested in buying inshell pecans. According to Levan Bolkvadze, co-founder of the company, samples of nuts have already been sent to China and buyers are satisfied with the quality. However, Chinese buyers prefer uniform varietal composition of pecans, which is difficult to achieve now, when there are no commercial plantations of this nut.

There is also a high interest in pecans among importers from Russia, who buy inshell pecans from small farmers in Abkhazia and Samegrelo. This year, inshell pecans are sold at 7 GEL/kg ($2.27), which provides a good income for the local population.

Watch a video about the experience and prospects of growing and processing pecans in Georgia

Сообщение Pecans in Georgia: history, prospects, technologies, prices, varieties, world experience (video) появились сначала на EastFruit.

Average annual losses from spring frosts of fruit and berry producers in Ukraine reach UAH 2 billion. But only a few farms in the country are investing in frost protection technologies today. In the EU countries, wind machines are becoming increasingly popular, which are a perfect equipment for protecting orchards.

This opinion was expressed by Denis Moskalyov, a representative of the FROSTLEE frost protection systems for agricultural crops, during the 17th international conference  “Fruits and Vegetables of Ukraine-2021. New Investment Opportunities” on December 2-3, 2021 in Brovary (Ukraine). The event was organized by the APK-Inform project: Vegetables and Fruits with the informational support of the EastFruit International Platform and the Ukrainian Horticultural Association (UHA).

The problem of frosts is relevant and will remain so for European and Ukrainian farmers

According to Denis Moskalyov, the problem of frosts has not been sufficiently addressed in Ukraine.

“Meanwhile, the harvest losses for this reason are huge. There has been an increase in such losses in the past 10 years, and this trend, unfortunately, will continue in the future.

Thus, according to research by the APK-Inform: Vegetables and Fruits project, apple producers lose about UAH 700 million annually, and in some seasons their losses reached UAH 1.5 billion.

In addition, producers growing stone fruits – apricots, peaches and cherries – bear great losses from spring frosts. In recent years, the frost issue has affected blueberry producers in connection with the increase in the area planted with blueberries in Ukraine, and farmers growing walnuts,” a representative of the FROSTLEE company said.

The scale of losses is also significant in the EU countries, that annually lose of around 1.5 million tonnes of apples average, and in some years – about 3 million tonnes, excluding quality losses. In monetary terms, the annual losses of EU apple producers are estimated at $1 billion.

Denis Moskalyov cites the French agro-industrial complex as an example. The Minister of Agriculture and Food of France called the consequences of frosts this year “the worst catastrophe in the agricultural sector of the XXI century”, as they destroyed plantations on hundreds of thousands of hectares. Losses ranged from 20 to 100% of the harvest.

Since 2018, frosts in France have caused significant damage to blueberry plantations, and this year 80% of the crop has been destroyed in the country.

“Due to the large financial losses, growers are looking for systems that effectively protect their orchards and plantations from frost. Therefore, about 200 wind machines of the European brand GENER were delivered in autumn 2021, the exclusive representative of which in Ukraine is the FROSTLEE company,” Denis Moskalyov notes.

Wind machines are the most effective frost protection method to increase the grower’s profit

A FROSTLEE representative notes that farmers use various methods to combat frosts: thermal guns, film, and fire-lighting. According to Denis Moskalyov, the most effective way is to use wind machines.

The expert notes that GENER windmills carry out heat transfer using the forced convection method, taking warm air from the upper atmosphere and mixing it with cooler air in the field area. In this regard, the air temperature rises and all conditions are created to preserve the harvest.

“At the same time, the transfer of warm air masses is carried out over large areas, thanks to the rotation of the machine around its axis, which allows to spread warm air 360 degrees over the field,” explains Denis Moskalyov, adding that it is recommended to equip wind machines with thermal boosters. They help increase the efficiency of heat engines by increasing the temperature of the generated warm air by 2 degrees Celsius.

According to Denis Moskalyov, one GENER machine is capable of frost protection from 3 to 7.5 hectares of a field at temperatures down to -6 degrees Celsius.

“The effectiveness of protection directly depends on the type of crop, the model of the machine, the geolocation of the field. At the same time, GENER wind machines are planned to be delivered to Belgium, France and other EU countries in 2022,” Denis Moskalyov notes.

Among the advantages of wind machines, it is worth noting that they can be installed in any farm, berry farm or vineyard and do not depend on any infrastructure. In addition, such a protection system can be installed in a matter of days and is easy to maintain. Among other advantages of wind machines is their durability – usually the manufacturer claims from 10 years of operation, however, as practice shows, wind machines can be used much longer.

It is important that this method of frost protection pays off in the very first year of frost. In other words, these machines will not pay off only if a farmer or winegrower never encounters abnormal weather conditions during the period of use.

According to Denis Moskalyov, frosts cause direct damage to the volume of the harvest and affect its quality.

“Indeed, under improper conditions for the formation of the fruit, defects appear. In this connection, the grower will not be able to sell fruit on the fresh market. An investment in frost protection systems is an opportunity to sell a high-quality harvest at a high price in the future.” the FROSTLEE representative summarizes.

Сообщение Investments in frost protection systems are a solution for a high-quality fruit and berry harvest – opinion появились сначала на EastFruit.

According to EastFruit, harvesting of almonds is in full swing in Georgia. Almonds are a fairly new culture for the country, but the orchards that were planted 4-5 years ago are beginning to enter in the full commercial production.

The largest plantation belongs to Adjara Group. Today, the total area of ​​the almond orchard of the Udabno company is 2,300 hectares, of which almonds are harvested from 1000 hectares in 2021. Earlier we talked in detail about this project. Now EastFruit has a unique opportunity to show you how almonds are harvested at the Udabno company in the next video.

You can also compare this to how almonds are harvested in California (video is available here), and learn about all aspects of growing, post-harvest handling and marketing of almonds, as well as their profitability in the USA (video is available here). However, let’s return to the almond orchards of Georgia.

According to Goderdzi Metreveli, director of Udabno, the company plans to harvest 500-600 tons of almonds in 2021. At the moment, the harvesting of almonds of the Guara and Supernova varieties, which are planned to be exported to the EU countries, is underway. A week later, the Lauren variety will be harvested, which ripens a little later. In general, the company’s management is satisfied with the quality of the grown almonds, the caliber of which ranges from 29 to 30mm.

In addition, in a few months, the plant will be equipped with technologies for drying and splitting almonds from Borelli. The line’s capacity will be 2.5 tons of almonds per hour. This year’s harvest is planned to be finalized with this equipment, and next season Udabno will be ready to buy almonds from other farmers in Georgia or provide them with services for the processing of almonds.

Since the company plans to develop organic cultivation in the future – not only almonds, but also berries and grapes, it has already reduced the use of plant protection chemicals to a minimum. The company plans to complete the full transition to certified cultivation of organic fruit, berry and nut products in a few years.

EastFruit thanks the Udabno company for the video materials provided.

Сообщение Almonds harvesting in Georgia’s largest orchard (video) появились сначала на EastFruit.

Blueberries are one of the main export products of Georgia’s horticultural business and the fastest growing export category.

In 2020, according to EastFruit, Georgia has quadrupled its blueberry exports. According to optimistic estimates, the export of blueberries from the country may even reach 5 thousand tons within 5 years, which will make it one of the largest regional exporters of blueberries.

Why are blueberries so interesting for Georgian farmers and investors? Who grows it?

1. In Georgia, the state supports the development of the berry sector and, within the framework of the Plant the Future state program, in certain regions of Western Georgia (Imereti, Racha, Guria, Samegrelo, Mtskheta regions) pays 100% of the cost of seedlings (both local and imported), irrigation system for min 0.15 and max 0.5 hectares per beneficiary. The development of cooperatives is also encouraged – an agricultural cooperative that will receive funding for the construction of an orchard with an area of ​​at least 5 hectares, will receive 1 stationary refrigerator container, necessary for the primary storage of crops, with an average capacity of 20 tons
2. An indicator for the suitability of the soil for growing blueberries is tea, which, like blueberries, loves acidic soil.According to FAO, in the early 1990s, tea was grown on more than 30,000 hectares.Georgia plans to rehabilitate 7,000 hectares of tea plantations, the rest of the area is suitable for growing blueberries
3. Georgia ranks 7th in the global ranking of ease of doing business (Doing Business 2020) – just behind the United States and ahead of countries such as the UK, Norway, Sweden, Malaysia, Australia and the UAE
4. Unique export window.The harvest of blueberries in Georgia begins in the last decade of May – an ideal period for obtaining a high price, becauseat this time, the southern countries of the region had already finished harvesting blueberries, and the rest had not yet begun.
5. The yield of blueberries per hectare in Georgia can be higher than in Ukraine and Poland due to the favorable climate
6. Georgia is one of the few blueberry producing countries in the region that has access to the Russian market, where blueberry prices are much higher than in other countries of the region, but Georgia is actively entering the markets of the Middle East and the European Union with its berries
7. Georgia has access to the Black Sea ports and may in the future ship blueberries for export in sea containers.

Read also:  Georgian blueberry growers are urged to reconsider approaches to the berry marketing

Now blueberries are grown mainly in the regions of Western Georgia: Samegrelo, Guria, Adjara and Imereti. One of the most common blueberry varieties in Georgia is Legacy, but lately more and more farmers are starting to experiment with different varieties.

There are many small and only a few large blueberry growers in Georgia, but large farmers and traders have a decisive influence on the market as they invest heavily in post-harvest handling, cooling, sorting, certifications, and a comfortable working environment for their workers. They are Global G.A.P. certified and equipped with pre-cooling, sorting, packaging and storage of blueberries.

Georgian blueberries are harvested by hand and only when the berries are dry and not overheated in the sun. Pickers are trained to pick blueberries only in the required ripeness phase and to maintain the matt wax on the berry as much as possible. This feature along with the size of the fruit, are two of the most important quality indicators.

Due to the difficulties that arose when exporting to the Russian Federation, this season Georgian blueberries were first sold to Germany and Bulgaria. Georgian farmers and traders are open to new opportunities, as the blueberry harvest in Georgia is increasing every year. Therefore, investments in blueberries, even in such excellent conditions that have been created in Georgia, will be justified only if the growers aims at efficiently growing high-quality berries and clearly understands how to handle, sort, store and most importantly, how and where to sell the blueberries.

Сообщение Blueberries of Georgia – why are investors heavily investing in this berry? (video) появились сначала на EastFruit.

Cherries are a traditional profitable business for small farmers in Uzbekistan, who are called “dehkans” here. This traditional method continues to provide the bulk of the production and exports of cherries from Uzbekistan, bringing the country up to $ 100 million in export revenues and making it one of the world’s four largest exporters of cherries.

Modern intensive cherry orchards have recently begun to appear in Uzbekistan, but their share in the production structure is still small.

To show how much work is done to ensure that consumers in Russia can taste sweet Uzbek cherries, the EastFruit team has prepared this video. We will show how cherries are grown in the traditional farms of the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan, how they are harvested from tall trees, how cherries are sorted by hand on the farm, packed and where and how they are sold. The entire route of cherries from the tree to the consolidation of the batch in the refrigerator of the wholesale market for subsequent export to Russia can be traced.

Traditional cherry orchards in Uzbekistan’s Fergana Valley are often located along irrigation canals. The video shows an irrigation canal without water, as water for irrigation of cherries is supplied according to a schedule, and the farm is irrigated by old and ineffective furrow method. As a result, water losses from such an approach to irrigation are huge, which is a real waste for the arid climate of Uzbekistan. Switching to drip irrigation could provide higher yields, better plant nutrition and reduce water loss.

Sizes of cherry orchards, planting scheme, rootstocks, varieties and harvesting

The standard area of ​​a traditional cherry farm for one owner is less than half a hectare. In addition to cherries, peaches are also grown in the orchard, which allows for an extended fruit season and more efficient use of labor.

The scheme for planting cherries on a traditional Uzbek farm is 4 by 3 meters. As a rootstock for traditional cherry varieties, a sour cherry rootstock is used.

Harvesting cherries on an extensive farm with huge and tall trees is a risky business. To do this, high wooden stairs or pyramidal structures for better stability are used. However, working at this height unguarded is always a risk.

Cherry harvesting begins at 6 am, before it becomes too hot outside, otherwise cherries quickly lose moisture and quality. Harvesting cherries requires a lot of labor – every day a small farmer hires 10 to 25 people to work in the orchard, depending on the cherry variety and yield.

Farmer Zokir Shokirov says: “My orchard is 12 years old, we grow the most popular varieties: an early variety “Samarkand” and a later large-fruited variety “Bull’s Heart” or “Tashkent”. The two varieties are good for the domestic market and for export to Russia.”

Harvesters collect cherries in buckets made of light and soft plastic, which ensures the minimum weight of the container and reduces damage to fruit.

Sorting and packing cherries right on the farm

Containers and packaging for cherries are used differently – it depends on buyers. Buyers either buy cherries in the orchard, or a grower brings his cherries to the wholesale market and tries to get a higher price. If cherries are sold before the start of harvesting, early in the morning the buyers of sweet cherries bring boxes of 4.5-5 kg, and then they take the sorted cherries in the same boxes. They take 100% of what was picked in the orchard, including poor quality cherries.

Sorting of cherries by defects and caliber in traditional orchards is done manually in the field. This is a very time-consuming task. This is done by female cherry sorters. They sort through each fruit, examining it carefully for defects, damage, overripe, as well as size. Sorters put cherries in plastic boxes, on the bottom of which cloth is laid (transparent, lightweight textile cotton fabric). This is not ideal because it poses food safety concerns, but it is the traditional way of packaging. It takes a lot of time to sort and pack, and since air temperatures are very high, often more than 40 degrees Celsius during the harvesting of cherries in Uzbekistan, cherries quickly lose moisture. This means that farmers lose their money as cherries lose moisture every minute they are kept in hot temperature.

Mobile hydrocooling would definitely help, but farmers cannot afford this, because such technologies cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, it is possible that over time, wholesalers will make such investments, since it is already becoming difficult for Uzbek cherries to compete with Turkey and other suppliers even in the Russian market, which leads to a drop in prices for cherries.

The cherries that aren’t suitable for exports due to defects of size are sold at a half price for processing or for the fresh market for low-income consumers.

Sale of cherries at night and consolidation of export batches in the wholesale market

From the orchard, cherries are sent to the wholesale market for the exports the Altyaryk district of the Fergana region, where wholesale export batches are formed. The wholesale market is seasonal and operates from April, when the harvest of early stone fruits begins, until autumn, the very end of the harvest of late grapes, persimmons and peaches. Farmers sell cherries and traders and exporters forming large wholesale lots of fresh fruits for export buy cherries here.

There is an important infrastructure element in the wholesale market – cold rooms for cooling and temporary storage of cherries and other fruits, where they are kept until the required volume is formed.

Fruits are sold in the evening and at night, which, given the hot weather in Uzbekistan and the business of growers during the day, is the most suitable time for trade. From about 7 o’clock in the evening, cars loaded with boxes of fresh fruit start to pull in. They are already sorted by caliber, color and defects, packed in boxes in accordance with the standard export requirements for shipment to traditional export markets. These requirements are known to every farmer.

Fruit and vegetables are brought to this wholesale market from the entire Fergana Valley – from the Namangan, Fergana and Andijan regions of Uzbekistan. From several hundred to a thousand cars enter this market per day.

Depending on the harvest season for fruits, the market administration divides the area for different types of fruits in a way that vehicles with cherries line up on the cherry part of the market, and those with apricots line up on the other part of the market. By 8 or 9 pm, the market is already actively trading – it is a real living organism forming the price of cherries in Uzbekistan.

When the transaction is completed and the exporter has bought a batch of cherries from a farmer, after a random quality check, the batch of cherries is weighed and after marking, placed in the refrigerator. As a rule, the transaction is made for the entire volume of the grower’s goods.

Сообщение Cherries of Uzbekistan: traditional technology of growing, harvesting, sorting, packing and sales in Fergana Valley (video) появились сначала на EastFruit.

The EastFruit team conducted a virtual study-tour for farmers in our region who are interested in growing greens and aromatic herbs as a greenhouse business. To do this, we visited the Italian company Orto Ricci, which produces aromatic herbs, salads and vegetables both on 30 hectares in Anzio, near Rome.

A video report on how aromatic herbs are grown in Italy, both packed and in pots, is available here. The information can be especially relevant for countries where culinary herbs are an important export item – – for Georgia and for Uzbekistan.

What notable things did we see in Orto Ricci? We saw how to make more than € 2 million per hectare growing aromatic herbs in a hydroponic system. We learned what sub-irrigation is, how sub-irrigation mats or auto-irrigation mats function, how a floating sub-irrigation system works, what are the advantages of the sea climate, how long a greenhouse can work, what is basil biofortification with selenium and why it is needed, how an integrated pest management helps in marketing and much more.

Assortment of aromatic herbs and vegetables

Orto Ricci has a huge assortment of aromatic herbs and even vegetables, but about 75% of their total revenue comes from one crop – basil. Why basil and where does so much of it go?

Italy is famous for its pizza and the most popular pizza is, of course, Margarita. And here you cannot do without the basil. However, it is also used in many other dishes – in famous pesto sauce, in baked goods and salads, as a seasoning for fish, etc. By the way, there are quite a few types of basil. In the assortment of “Orto Ricci”, in addition to ordinary basil, there are brown, red, lemon and licorice basil.

What’s interesting, even nettles are grown here As a part of the list of herbs offered by the company: common and marsh mint, lemon balm, marjoram, myrtle, rosemary, sage, catnip, savory, tarragon, thyme, coriander (cilantro), lavender, borage, oregano, chives, lemongrass! The assortment also includes leafy salads, pumpkin flowers, etc. A separate line is cherry tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables for indoor growing in pots, which many use as ornamental plants at home.

Dill and parsley

The most popular types of greens in the post-Soviet countries, such as dill and parsley are almost unknown here. Parsley is still used in some recipes, but dill is unknown in Italy. Fennel is sometimes found here, which is often confused with dill, but real dill is almost impossible to find. However, the country is home to several hundred thousand people from the post-Soviet space, mainly from Ukraine. Therefore, Orto Ricci is now setting up the production of both dill and parsley. After all, there is a demand, which means you can make money on it.

However, let’s move on to the actual greenhouse business of growing aromatic herbs.

Location, climate, exports and domestic market

Why do Italian producers try to be close to the sea? The climate is milder here – warmer in winter and cooler in summer. And this means saving money on heating greenhouses in winter and fewer diseases and pests.

Orto Ricci has tried exporting greens to the UK, but most packed herbs are not suitable for long-term storage and potted plants take up a lot of space and are too heavy to make exporting such products profitable. Therefore, they decided to sell their products not only in the domestic market of Italy but concentrated on the market of the capital region of Italy and other regions in central Italy. First, the market is large enough. Secondly, the logistics costs are lower. Thirdly, the quality and freshness of the products are thus perfect. Well, and fourthly, in this way the company avoids many other issues.

Types of greenhouses for growing aromatic herbs

The hydroponic greenhouses used for growing aromatic herbs are quite old – around 25 years old. These are glass greenhouses, with ventilation (opening vents on the roof) that is very important to keep the air humidity under control in summer. Indeed, in these greenhouses, greens are grown in special floating cassettes with sub-irrigation, which means the humidity is usually quite high that can lead to plant diseases.

There is full digitalization in greenhouses – climate, irrigation water composition and other growing parameters are monitored with a computer system. The greenhouse, accordingly, has a variety of sensors.

In winter, the main problem is a lack of light, which leads to a slowdown in plant growth and can provoke the spread of diseases. To reduce energy consumption for heating greenhouses, special heat-shielding curtains are opened over the plants at night, keeping heat.

In summer, on the contrary, glass and film greenhouses are whitened from the outside in order to avoid overheating of plants. The whitewash self-decomposes under the hot Roman sun over the summer and the transparency of the glass is restored by autumn without additional costs.

The company also uses foil greenhouses and even grows its produce outdoors in summer.

Types of irrigation, what is sub-irrigation and how the company saves water

Herbs are grown mainly either in a sterile environment on floating foam trays, or in pots on sub-irrigation mats (special rugs with auto-irrigation). In addition, some of the greens are grown in the ground.

In hydroponic greenhouses, plants simply float in the nutrient solution in special lightweight foam trays. Plants reach up to the solution with their roots and get the nutrients they need. At the same time, the leaves remain dry and clean, which helps avoid problems with diseases and pests, which means to ensure a higher purity of products and environmental friendliness of the business.

The nutrient solution is constantly aerated and the computer monitors its chemical composition to ensure the ideal nutrition for each crop.

To reduce water consumption, Orto Ricci has a rainwater collecting system that is purified and used in greenhouses. The irrigation water in which the trays with plants float is changed only once a year.

Subirrigation mats, also called self-irrigated rugs, are also used mainly in glass greenhouses, but for growing greens and vegetables in pots. The nutrient solution is supplied to the rug, and plants reach out to the roots through the hole in the pot to the rug and receive the nutrition they need. Thanks to this approach, both the substrate and the leaves of the plants remain dry, which makes production more environmentally friendly. In addition, this approach avoids unnecessary waste of water and fertilizers, because they are more efficiently used by plants.

Integrated Plant Protection System (IPPS)

The company’s agronomists are constantly experimenting, trying to find approaches to reduce or completely eliminate the use of crop protection chemicals. Thanks to IPPS, an integrated approach is used that ensures the minimum use of chemical plant protection products when growing greens, salads and vegetables. For example, we were shown an experiment how the proximity of different crops in a greenhouse affects their development. This allows to discover new solutions for improving the sustainability and environmental friendliness of the business.

Labor force is an important factor in competitiveness

Since growing greenery, despite the maximum levels of business automation, requires a lot of manual labor, the cost of labor has a high share in the cost of the herbs. Most likely, this is another reason why the company relied on fresh herbs, because it avoids competition with imports from countries where labor is cheaper.

Orto Ricci employs many foreigners, mostly from Punjab, India. Therefore, all announcements and messages in the company’s greenhouses are duplicated in Italian and Punjabi. The employment is all official and the labor costs the company about 10 € per hour taxes included.

Cleaning of the herbs

Greenery is harvested by taking trays with plants and placing them in a special cutting machine. The roots remaining in the trays are shaken out, and undamaged trays are cleaned for reuse.

Cut greens are packed in bags for sale in supermarket chains. To increase the implementation period, only preliminary washing is carried out, and consumers should wash the greens once again.

Cleaning up potted greenery is not a problem at all. Since the pots are on sub-irrigation mats, you just need to pick them up and pack them.

Plastic-free biodegradable packaging and pots

The company takes pride in its efforts to reduce its negative impact on the environment. All packaging used by the company is biodegradable.

One of the hot questions is the use of biodegradable pots for growing potted greens and vegetables. The fact is that supermarkets require such greens to be supplied in biodegradable pots. However, they cost three times more than ordinary ones, and consumers pay attention not to the pot, but to the herb and its price. Therefore, greens in ordinary plastic pots can win in price.

Productivity of herbs with year-round cultivation 

The yield of basil in hydroponic greenhouses on sub-irrigation is from 7 to 10 tons per cycle from each hectare of greenhouses. The cycle lasts about 20 days in summer and about 30 days in winter. On average, it is possible to make about 14 production cycles per year. This means that the yield is about 120 tons per hectare.

Considering that the average selling price for cut basil, which is usually sold in packs of 50 grams, is 20 euros per kg, the total revenue per hectare of such greenhouses exceeds 2 million euros per year.

Herbs, Nickel-Free Basil and Selenium Biofortification of Basil

An interesting observation is that the company would like to grow smaller potted herbs than it currently does. This would lead to faster turnover. In addition, these greens are healthier for consumers. However, buyers prefer overgrown greens because think they are buying more.

A very important indicator of the quality of greens is their low nickel content – almost nickel-free.

The growing demand for a healthy lifestyle is constantly forcing the company to look for new ways to increase the benefits of the herbs. One of these areas was the cultivation of basil with a high selenium content.

Selenium is considered one of the most important trace minerals for human health. It plays an essential role in the functioning of the thyroid gland and in metabolism. Selenium helps protect cells from damage and oxidative stress by strengthening immunity, improving brain function, and even reducing the risk of heart disease.

Selenium is believed to help prevent some liver diseases, protect body from heavy metal poisoning. Since selenium is involved in the metabolism of iodine, this makes it an essential element for humans.

That is why Orto Ricci has been developing a program for biofortification or bio-saturation of the basil grown here with selenium for two years now.

Since selenium in basil accumulates better if plants get it through the roots, and not through foliar feeding, this was great for a company where sub-irrigation is mainly used.

As young leaves contain more selenium, the company was looking for the fastest growing varieties of basil. As a result, the choice was made in favor of the Gemini basil variety from SAIS Sementi. In addition, a cultivation technology has been worked out, which would make it possible to obtain the same yield of basil biofortified with selenium as for the ordinary basil. The company hopes this will give it an additional competitive advantage in Italy’s highly competitive market of fresh herbs.

Competition in the green market continues to increase

Since growing aromatic herbs allows for a high income per hectare of land, competition in this market continues to grow. The growth of competition in the market is taking place despite the high investment required to create modern greenhouses.

In addition, the world is now experiencing a real boom in investments in greenhouse technology and especially in the creation of vertical farms, which allows to grow greens anywhere and even in large cities.

However, these technologies have not yet found widespread use in Italy, and Orto Ricci, thanks to its continuous improvement of the quality, environmental friendliness and freshness of herbs, feels quite confident on the market, continuing to develop.

The EastFruit team is grateful to Orto Ricci for the opportunity to learn from them and for their openness in providing information.

Сообщение Growing aromatic herbs in greenhouses – learning from Italy (video) появились сначала на EastFruit.

Kiwi is one of the trendiest positions in global fruit and vegetable trade, and its consumption is growing rapidly. According to a study by EastFruit, over the past 5 years (2015-2019), global kiwi trade has grown by 7% or $ 217.9 million per year. Thus, in terms of the growth of global trade in fruits and berries, kiwi came after blueberries, avocado, cherries, raspberries, durian and mango.

Our region is in a global trend and is interested in growing kiwi. Moreover, there are countries that are already exporting kiwi and producing exotic fruits that are unique in their properties, which are in demand even in the pickiest countries!

As the title says, we will talk about Georgia and Georgian kiwi. Georgia is the only country in the region where kiwi is produced in relatively large volumes commercially. The first kiwi plantations also appear in Uzbekistan and even in the relatively cold Ukraine.

Georgia has recently started to produce kiwi, but it has more than 10 years of experience in cultivating this crop. According to Geostat’s data, over the past 5 years, kiwi production has grown by 50% and reached 1.5 thousand tons. Three regions of Western Georgia – Samegrelo, Guria and Adjara, have the best climatic conditions for growing kiwi. However, due to climate change, kiwi has also been planted even in the eastern part of the country and in such a traditional wine-growing region as Kakheti. Why not – kiwi has a lot in common with grapes. For example, like grapes, kiwi is grown on a pergola. Many people make beautiful green gazebos from kiwi vines right next to the house.

Kiwi in Georgia is mainly produced by small farmers on small areas – on average, each producer has less than one hectare of land. Georgian kiwi producers sell their harvest of at the local market, where both consumers and intermediaries buy it.

The main problem of small-scale kiwi producers in Georgia is the lack of funds to expand production and install cold storage. Indeed, during their ripening period, their supply on the market rises sharply, and their prices drop, respectively.

Small farmers also complain that kiwi production, unlike other fruits and berries, is not eligible for government support programs. In particular, the inclusion of kiwi in the “Plant the Future” state program would significantly increase funding for the development of this very promising culture. After all, Georgia, as we will prove below, can grow kiwi of unique quality.

Another problem with Georgian kiwi is the extremely low prices for fresh kiwi imported from Iran. The price of Iranian kiwi at the Georgian border decreased from $ 0.60 per kg in 2018 to $ 0.40 per kg in 2020, and the import of kiwi from Iran in 2020 exceeded one thousand tons – 85% of all kiwi imports to Georgia. Therefore, given the possibilities of growing other relatively expensive crops, such as blueberries or hazelnuts, in the same climatic zones, there are cases when producers change their profile, refusing to grow kiwi.

Agronomist Akaki Glonti, who advises kiwi producers in Georgia, notes that growing kiwi is not difficult. The only problem that local producers have already addressed is the spring frosts. But hanging sprinklers, which also water the plant, eliminate the risk of flower loss due to frost.

A more serious problem is the recently widespread decay of the roots and vines of the kiwi. Farmers note that rotting is more common in biological (organic) farms when kiwi is fertilized with manure. When using mineral fertilizers, this problem occurs much less frequently. This issue requires detailed study, and the request has already been sent to the competent authorities to conduct laboratory studies and identify the causes and ways to combat them.

In 2018, several Georgian kiwi growers united into the Georgian Kiwi Producers Association, which today includes 114 farmers from all over the country. These farmers have a total of about 70 hectares of kiwi orchards. According to the head of the association, Demur Pipia, Georgian kiwi, due to its taste and high sugar content, has great potential on international markets. However, in order for Georgia to be able to produce a sufficient amount of quality kiwi, farmers must have the necessary knowledge about modern technologies for growing, storing and processing kiwi. “Until the last decade, farmers were not interested in commercial production of kiwi in Georgia, so they do not have enough knowledge and experience to produce high-quality products,” Demur said.

Today, members of the association sell part of their harvest in local agricultural markets, and part of them is bought by Nergeta, which grades and brands kiwi for local retail. Nergeta is one of the largest kiwi growers in Georgia, which owns about 30 hectares of kiwi orchards in the Samegrelo region (Western Georgia). This allows the company to guarantee volumes and quality in export markets – in the EU, where Georgian kiwi was introduced in the German Lidl chain and even in Japan.

Moreover, Japan is the main sales market for Georgian kiwi – since 2016, about 70% of Georgian kiwi exports went to Japan, which confirms unique qualities of Georgian kiwis. After all, Japan is a country with the highest quality and safety requirements for products supplied to its market. In addition, Japanese consumers are willing to pay high prices for fruits with unique qualities. At the same time, Japan is the second largest world importer of kiwi, so Georgian exporters have set export priorities right as well. In the traditional sales market for Georgian fruits, Russia, the import of kiwi is decreasing, contrary to global trends.

Demur Pipia considers partnership with “Nergeta” company to be one of the important factors for the development of the Georgian plant breeding sector. The partnership involves not only selling the fruit, but also training local kiwi producers to improve the quality of their products.

In March 2021, the average small wholesale price of kiwi in the Tbilisi wholesale market was 4 GEL per kg ($ 1.33 per kg), as in 2020. Kiwis could be bought from the farmer at 2 GEL per kg ($ 0.65).

It is also important to note that interest in kiwi is growing not only among producers, but also among consumers in the region. This means that the local market for kiwi is becoming attractive.

We have already written that even Tajikistan liked kiwi. As you can see in the graph, Armenia, is also increasing its import of kiwi. According to EastFruit’s estimates, Ukraine is increasing kiwi imports more slowly than Uzbekistan, but the volumes are much higher. Ukraine imports over 17 thousand tons of kiwi annually. The import of kiwi to Uzbekistan is also rapidly growing – according to this indicator, the country is a world leader, although the volumes are very small there.

Thus, Georgia has every opportunity to develop the production and export of exotic kiwi fruits, which are becoming more common on the tables of consumers in our region.

EastFruit ‘s video on what makes Georgian kiwi unique.

Сообщение Why is kiwi from Georgia exported mainly to Japan and Germany? (video) появились сначала на EastFruit.

Fresh vegetables are available all year round. The greenhouse business is actively developing in Tajikistan. Agrarians produce tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and export them. MIR 24 explains.

You can set your watch based on the schedules of greenhouse workers: they are ready at eight in the morning sharp, with no exceptions for holidays and weekends.

Dilbar Oidnazarova is the best plant grower in the farm. She jokingly compares herself to a kindergarten teacher – she both brings up young personnel and grows vegetables.

“For me every plant is like a child who needs my love and care. There is no good harvest without such an approach,” Dilbar Oidnazarova, a greenhouse worker, said.

They plant eggplants, cabbage and beetroot, sweet and hot peppers, and the high-demand cucumbers and tomatoes.

“This is a Turkish tomato variety. To begin with, we planted 5 thousand seeds and we’ll see what happens,” the head of the greenhouse, Khushvakht Bedimolov said.

The farm is owned by Khushvakt Bedimolov. He started with two small greenhouses 8 years ago, and there are almost 30 greenhouses on the farm today. Abdukarim Yuldashev has been one of the main assistants all these years. They both had worked in agriculture before, but still had a lot to learn.

“Outdoor, the harvest depends on the weather – temperature, precipitation and much more. And in greenhouses, we ourselves create the necessary climate, and there are many subtleties. However, the weather outside influences it sometimes,”- the foreman Abdukarim Yuldashev said.

It is always warm and sunny here in the south of Tajikistan, but there are also frosts down to -5 in winter. For these episodes, heaters were installed. All the producers in the neighborhood did the same. In total, 80 hectares are with greenhouses in the Kushoniensky district. This is the highest rate in the Khalton region.

“Of course, the most important thing is to provide the domestic market with fresh vegetables and fruits, and in the future, to establish export as well. By the way, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia are already buying our local lemons,” Khojazoda Amirali, chief specialist of the Khatlon region’s economy department, said.

In this greenhouse paradise, 400 lemon trees were planted just four years ago, and the first harvest is expected next year.

“We plan to export up to 50 tons of products to neighboring countries. In the future, we plan to expand the area of ​​lemon tree nurseries, since lemon is a very healthy citrus fruit and is in demand is exploding” the head of the farm Gulom Salokhov said.

Сообщение Greenhouse production of vegetables and lemons is increasing in Tajikistan появились сначала на EastFruit.

Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most undervalued sales markets in the world. This opinion was expressed by Artem Gudkov, co-founder of Global Ukrainian Distribution, Investment and Trading Company Limited (GUDIT), in an exclusive interview with EastFruit about the specifics of doing business and trading in vegetables and fruits in Tanzania and in Africa in general.

EastFruit analysts point out that the Netherlands alone exports about 500,000 tons of onions annually to the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. This region also imports tens of thousands of tons of fresh marketable potatoes from the European Union and this does not include seed potatoes.

Currently, Ukraine barely seizes the market opportunities of Sub-Saharan Africa. However, Andriy Yarmak, an economist at the Investment Centre of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) who conducted the interview, noted that Ukraine at least sells minimal volumes of fruits and vegetables to the region – about one and a half hundred tons of fresh apples and several tens of tons of onions. Moldova, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and Tajikistan on the other hand do not sell anything to this region at all, not even nuts or dried fruits. Nevertheless, Ukraine does not fully utilize all of the possibilities of Sub-Saharan Africa in comparison with the EU countries.

Read also: Apples at $1 apiece – how to successfully sell apples to Sub-Saharan Africa?

“Senegal annually imports fruit and vegetable products worth $110 million and these are traditional products for Ukraine such as onions, apples, and potatoes. Imports come from countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. Cote d’Ivoire imports more than 200,000 tons of onions also from Europe. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, onion prices are 3-4 times lower than in the Netherlands, but it does not sell anything to Africa. Onion prices have remained at an extremely low level since July 2020!” says Andriy Yarmak.

Artem Gudkov noted that a very important factor that swings in favour of the Netherlands and other EU countries when selling products to Africa is the physical presence of European companies and entrepreneurs who are engaged in the region. Well-developed and inexpensive logistics and guaranteed quality of products from the European Union are also important aspects. On the contrary, EastFruit has previously reported that Ukraine still struggles to offer its own consumers high-quality potatoes, onions, and other vegetables of the borsch set.

“Cold logistics for both refrigeration and freezing is a disaster in Sub-Sahara Africa but whoever can build it will control the market,” says Artem Gudkov. He also focused on direct business contacts and physical presence in the region as the most important conditions for a successful business. “To successfully sell to Africa, you have to sell in Africa. The volumes of apples and onions that Ukraine supplied to Sub-Saharan Africa passed through companies of people directly connected with Ukraine,” explains Artem Gudkov.

Watch the EastFruit video below of Andriy Yarmak’s interview with Artem Gudkov of GUDIT:

Сообщение Is it possible to export onions and potatoes from Ukraine to Africa? появились сначала на EastFruit.

In an hour and a half interview with EastFruit about the specifics of doing business in fruit and vegetables in Sub-Saharan Africa, Artem Gudkov, co-founder of Global Ukrainian Distribution, Investment and Trading Company Limited (GUDIT), revealed several surprising aspects of the region’s fruit and vegetable business.

First of all, attention is drawn to the high price of fresh apples, which the locals consider an exotic fruit. The prices for this fruit, traditional and common for Ukraine, Moldova and other countries of the region, reach $1 per piece, which is about 10 times more expensive than the retail price for an apple in Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia now.

However, selling apples to this region is not so easy, because, according to Artem Gudkov, “cold logistics, both cooling and freezing, is a real disaster in Sub-Sahara Africa. However, whoever can build a refrigeration chain in Africa will control the market and it will not be as expensive as it might seem at first glance. Those who already have their own cold logistics systems in the region have onerous terms of cooperation for suppliers,” Artem explains.

The co-founder of GUDIT, who lives permanently in Tanzania, believes that it is possible to sell very large volumes of apples in this region if you want to and invest time and effort. Indeed, according to him, the locals are very fond of this fruit, but the size of the market is limited by the high retail price for them. The reason is that the margin of the importers who control the refrigeration chain is prohibitively high with competition in this segment still at minimal levels.

The expert believes that for the successful sale of apples in Tanzania and other countries of the region, it is necessary to open its own refrigerated warehouses and register a business in this country, as well as hire at least 150 people who will sell apples literally “on every corner”. According to him, the locals prefer green apple varieties, although there are also red ones on sale. Supermarkets do not yet have a large share in the sales of food products, and “bazaars and mini-markets govern it entirely.”

“To successfully sell to Africa, you need to sell in Africa,” Artem Gudkov says. To cover the costs of cold logistics and on-site promotion, according to him, it is possible to set a low margin (5-7% should be enough), profiting on the exports of apples, which will reduce their price and dramatically increase their sales. The expert also noted that the investment climate in the country is quite favourable, and corruption has dropped sharply in recent years. Now if the documents are all right, customs clearance of imported products goes quickly and without any delays or problems and this is especially important for fresh fruit and vegetables.

According to Andriy Yarmak, an economist at the Investment Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), who interviewed Artem Gudkov, Ukraine is already selling apples to Sub-Saharan Africa, although in a relatively small volume – only 147 tons last year. At the same time, he singled out Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Mauritius among the largest importers of fruit and vegetables in the region. Important markets are also Botswana, Namibia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Mali, Angola.

Who buys apples in Africa? According to Artem Gudkov, both foreigners and residents buy apples in Sub-Sahara Africa – after all, this is exotic for them and a kind of a status symbol, too. Apples are mostly sold in packages of 3-5 pieces each but can be sold apiece as well.

Artem Gudkov’s interview with Andriy Yarmak for EastFruit is below.

Сообщение Apples at $1 apiece – how to successfully sell apples to Sub-Saharan Africa? появились сначала на EastFruit.