In 2019, the Moldovan cooperative CI Nucces (Cupercheni village, Orhei district) established an organic Chandler walnut orchard on about 100 hectares and It will give its first harvest this year.

The project is noteworthy from many points of view. First, it is being implemented by a classic cooperative created by six co-founders who entered agribusiness with approximately equal land shares. Within the framework of the cooperative, the same agricultural technologies are used at all agricultural plots – for growing products of the same variety and uniform quality, a common investment is made in the development of production infrastructure. In the future, marketing will be common, as well. Earlier in the nut industry of Moldova, production and marketing cooperation was used in almond and hazelnut growing. In the walnut sector, individualism prevailed: there were either large enterprises of a closed production and commercial cycle, or small farms largely dependent on processors and traders.

Read also: The forecast of the walnut harvest in Moldova has been increased, but it will still be relatively low

Secondly, from the very beginning of its work, the cooperative CI Nucces used the consulting support of a professional organization – the Federation of Agricultural Producers of Moldova FARM. Its experts assisted the co-founders of the cooperative in finding land plots suitable for organic agricultural production, choosing agricultural technologies, drafting business plans and searching for preferential financing.

Thirdly, the choice of walnut variety plays a special role in the concept of the project. On the one hand, “Chandler” is the standard of quality and the most preferred variety in the global walnut market. On the other hand, it is demanding in terms of agricultural technologies. In particular, its productivity depends on fertilization and irrigation regime. With the assistance of FARM, the CI Nucces cooperative received grant support from the IFAD program for the construction of a main pipeline (from the Dniester River) and a storage reservoir. In the near future, the cooperative will receive financing through the “Livada Moldovei” project in order to equip the orchard with a drip irrigation system.

Сообщение A Moldovan cooperative has created one of the largest organic walnut orchards in Europe появились сначала на EastFruit.

Representatives of the Moldova Nut Growers Union note that local walnut growers’ hopes to increase demand from European buyers for in-shell varietal nuts at the end of last year did not materialize. Moreover, there was no increase in purchase requests for the Moldovan-Ukrainian Peschansky variety and highly marketable foreign selection varieties such as Chandler, Fernor, and others.

Contrary to farmers’ expectations, wholesale purchase prices for in-shell nuts did not rise above $2/kg. In the current situation, some large walnut farms have been changing their strategy since the first days of 2021. They are no longer trying to sell in-shell nuts, but are starting to process them by splitting and sorting.

Read also: Nut business: Results of 2020 for the markets of walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios and other nuts.

As a result, the union’s experts assume additional offers for large quantities of nut kernels for export will soon appear on the country’s domestic market. Apparently, it will be hundreds of tons of not yet contracted products. It will appear on the market at the wrong moment.  Usually, in the first half of January, there is a decline in external sales. Consequently, the purchase price for export kernels during this period may fall below 90-95 lei/kg ($5.10-5.40/kg).

However, the Moldova Nut Growers Union hopes that in the second half of this month the demand from exporters will increase and that walnut kernel prices will return to their usual level above 100 lei/kg ($5.70/kg).

Сообщение Supply of walnut kernels on Moldovan market will increase in January появились сначала на EastFruit.

In January 2021, the agrarian company Walnuts.ge will complete its cultivation of American Chandler walnut orchards on 150 hectares in the Sagarejoy municipality of Eastern Georgia. Walnuts.ge director David Bukhnikashvili told Business-partner that the company seeks to develop large industrial walnut orchards and produce premium quality products.

“Georgia is a small country. Therefore, we must receive the maximum yield from each hectare of land. Today, our walnut orchards are on an area of ​​85 hectares. In January 2021, we intend to develop another 65 hectares. Also, Georgia has excellent climatic conditions and we must utilise this,” says David Bukhnikashvili.

Despite the cultural tradition of growing walnuts for millennia in Georgia, the knowledge and experience of producing walnut varieties in our country are critically insufficient, including in regards to the Chandler variety. This variety of walnut is a novelty for the country, but it is well known and in great demand on world markets.

“The expansion project is being implemented with our German and Australian partners and the investment volume is 12 million lari. The company employs about 20 full-time employees plus an additional 30 to 40 workers from adjacent villages during the season,” says David Bukhnikashvili.

The director of Walnuts.ge notes that their initial costs were strategically considered. For example, only 5 million lari was spent on the construction of the irrigation system. The irrigation system’s top-of-the-line three- and four-lane drip irrigation system can be remote-controlled from anywhere in the world.

See also: How the Chandler walnut is harvested, peeled, dried, and chopped in the largest farm in Georgia (video)

“This means that our initial investments in development are high, and in our case, they reach 70,000 lari per hectare. Notwithstanding, in 7-8 years, we will get 7 tons of crops per hectare, which is $3.50 (price in the world market) per kilogram of walnut on average. We are not alone in this sector. There are many good farmers in Georgia, and we are all gradually learning and developing,” says the director of Walnuts.ge.

According to him, if a farmer grows walnut crops using correct agricultural measures and technological processes, he will produce a high-quality product at a price lower than in the world market.

“Today, farmers in Georgia pay 75 lari for watering 1 hectare of land. This is much lower than the water tax for farmers in America or European countries,” compares David Bukhnikashvili.

“The main target market for our sales, besides Georgia, is European and Central Asian countries. Negotiations are presently underway with Germany – several producers are interested in high-quality nuts since it is not so easy to find premium products on the world market,” concludes David Bukhnikashvili.

According to him, the low cost is also due to the available labor force that the company is recruiting in nearby villages plus the favorable soil and climatic conditions, which ultimately affect product quality.

“An important success factor is our geographical proximity to markets in Europe, Russia, and Central Asia. This simplifies and lowers the cost of supplying products. The main problem is the lack of relevant experience in our field. Therefore, our Australian and German partners along with Spanish expert Federico Larinaga (one of the most sought-after experts in the world), helped us to achieve success,” says the manufacturer.

According to him, the company will export most of its products from a young Orchard in Sagarejo, with an area of ​​150 hectares. Their first batch of exports is scheduled for 2021.

Сообщение Georgian company Walnuts.ge aims to produce premium quality walnuts появились сначала на EastFruit.