Governors of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry of Moldova (MAIA) argue that at the government level, work on amendments to the distribution regulations of the National Fund for the Development of Agriculture and Rural Affairs is underway. They will increase subsidies irrigation  infrastructure. In particular, compensation will be provided for shares of investments in deepening ponds, and in tanks for rain/melt water, etc.

The associations of producers of fruits, grapes, vegetables and berries believe that the development and application of a regulatory framework providing farmers with wide access to underground water sources for irrigation purposes would give the greatest impetus to the development of irrigation in fruit growing. However, this is unlikely to be solved in the short term, namely, in the agricultural season-2022.

MAIA experts believe that, as a matter of priority, irrigation systems using water from the most accessible sources – primarily from the Dniester and Prut rivers, as well as small natural reservoirs (where the water quality meets the irrigation standards), should be developed.

In addition, there are many hundreds of artesian wells in the agricultural enterprises of Moldova, created during the Soviet period, but currently closed. They could be used in regions, where there are no alternative sources of water for irrigation at all. However, these water sources can hardly be called cheap, given the need for expensive energy resources used to raise water and pump it onto farmland.

Сообщение Moldovan authorities plan to increase subsidies for irrigation infrastructure появились сначала на EastFruit.

Global prices for fresh and frozen raspberries are record-breaking. EastFruit wrote about the second raspberry boom in Ukraine, one of the global leaders in raspberry exports. Similar trends are noted in Serbia, Poland and other leading countries. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan mostly ignored the opportunities in the berry business until recently, despite the excellent climate and labor, the lack of which hinders the expansion of raspberry production in other countries.

However, it looks like the change is starting in Uzbekistan. EastFruit experts, with reference to the National News Agency of Uzbekistan, note that the establishment of new raspberry plantations with the total planned area of 300 hectares has started in the Fergana region of Uzbekistan.

Back in mid-August 2021, plans to expand the raspberry plantation in this region were reported. Given that the climate of the region is well suited for growing raspberries, 300 hectares of unused land were allocated for new berry plantations. Work began on soil analysis, clearing the area from stones, processing land with organic fertilizers and establishing an irrigation system, including drilling wells and installing pumps.

Read also: Record high prices push Uzbekistan to import carrots for the first time

It was planned that about 1000 families will be engaged in the production of raspberries on the new plantations in the form of cooperation. In addition, this project includes the creation of facilities for cooling, storing and freezing raspberries, as well as a processing plant.

Recently, work started on the establishment of new raspberry plantations in the “Vodil Kizilkurgan” massif.

Raspberry production in the Fergana region is concentrated in the village of Vodil with 5600 households and farms engaged in it. The total area of ​​raspberry plantations in Vodil village is 500 hectares, and the annual production is 4.4 thousand tons. Accordingly, after the project to expand raspberry plantations is implemented, their total area in the Fergana region will be 800 hectares. Raspberries in Uzbekistan are harvested 2 times a year, in May-June and August-September.

According to EastFruit analysts, there are almost no exports of raspberries from Uzbekistan for the fresh market, except for single deliveries of up to 20 tons. 120 tons were exported last year, of which about 100-110 tons were delivered to Kazakhstan and 10-15 tons to Turkey. According to the Customs Committee of the republic, from early January to mid-October 2021, Uzbekistan exported 32.3 tons of fresh raspberries. These are most likely raspberries for processing, and not for fresh consumption.

Moreover, there is almost no freezing of berries in Uzbekistan. It is freezing of berries, fruits and vegetables that would help Uzbekistan to sharply increase both the production and exports, since frozen berries can be stored for a long time and exported to almost anywhere in the world. Fresh berries, on the other hand, are much more difficult to export, especially from Uzbekistan that is far from the consumption centers. You can listen and read more about berries and fruits freezing business in the speech of Yulia Timoshenko, head of the Tiferet Company (Moldova), at the National Online Conference “Fruit and Vegetable Sector of Tajikistan – the Best Investment Niches”.

Сообщение Uzbekistan joins the raspberry boom появились сначала на EastFruit.

Offers of kiwi seedlings, an exotic fruit for Uzbekistan so far, have become increasingly common in Uzbek Telegram channels and Facebook groups on farming. However, it is still unknown whether there are kiwi orchards at commercial levels in the country.

EastFruit experts asked one of the most experienced kiwi growers, Shukhrat Umarov from Kokand, Fergana region, about his practice of kiwi cultivation in Uzbekistan. Mr. Umarov has been growing kiwi for 15 years and willingly shares the peculiarities of its cultivation technologies in Uzbek climate. Shukhrat Umarov grows kiwi in the open field and considers this culture to be winter-hardy enough for the local conditions.

– Please tell us why did you decide to experiment with growing kiwi in Uzbekistan?

– I like to experiment with cultures that are new to our climate and and territory. In 2006, I heard that a growers from Andijan brought a few kiwi seedlings from Turkey. It interested me, but, unfortunately, I didn’t have enough money to buy them. Then I learned that kiwi can be grown from seeds. I bought a Hayward kiwi in a store, took the seeds, planted them in a special soil and began to grow kiwi seedlings. After a year, the seedlings reached about 40 cm and I put them into regular soil outside. In the next 5 years, three out of ten seedlings blossomed, but only one of these three bore fruit.

Observing the differences in flowers and the fruiting process, I realized that kiwi seedlings are of two types – male and female. Accordingly, the male type is pollinating, it blooms, but does not bear fruit, and only the female type bears fruit. They even differ in the color of the flowers.

In the photo: female (left) and male (right) types of kiwi plant

I studied and mastered the methods of grafting kiwi seedlings, the optimal ratio of male and female types, the best time of the year for grafting, the peculiarities of caring for this plant, including watering, fertilizing, pruning, etc.

As a result, in 2018, I got about 50 kg of kiwi harvest from each plant for the first time. By my calculations, about 40 tons of kiwis are harvested per hectare, since there are about 800 plants per hectare.

It must be noted that kiwi harvest will increase with each subsequent year from the moment the plant begins to bear fruit. For example, in the first year of fruiting, 5-10 kg per plant are harvested, in the second year – 20-30 kg, and so on up to 50-60 kg.

– Are there any taste differences between your kiwis and imported ones?

– Of course, there are. Kiwis grown in Uzbekistan differ from imported ones in a sweeter and, in my opinion, richer taste. It is difficult for me to describe the taste – you need to try it.

– What are the features of growing kiwi in Uzbekistan based on your experience?

– For this plant, the following conditions should be provided: first, moist and soft soi, and second, maintaining the required level of humidity. In the hot and dry climate of Uzbekistan, it can be provided with drip irrigation or in another ways, but not abundant. The humidity can be achieved by injecting water using sprinkler systems at certain times of the day. Based on my experience, in the conditions of Uzbekistan such sprinkling or spraying of the kiwi plant should be done from May to September inclusive, every day for several hours a day, and even after sunset in summer.

If air humidity is not sufficient, the fruits are smaller than imported ones. In other words, it affects the size of kiwis.

Therefore, there are better conditions for the cultivation of kiwi in Uzbek regions and micro-zones with higher humidity, as well as the air temperature lower than the national average.

In terms of care, the kiwi plant is not very pretentious. Kiwi is resistant to diseases and does not require special protection measures against diseases or pests. Therefore, much less agrotechnical work is needed compared to other crops. As for fertilizers, I can say that the use of, for instance, vermicompost gives very good results.

It is important to know and observe the optimal time for grafting kiwi seedlings in Uzbekistan, to master the methods and techniques of pruning. The yield of kiwi directly is directly dependente. For example, the branches that bore fruit this year will not bear fruit next year, so they need to be pruned.

Hayward kiwi harvest fully ripens in the first ten days of November, but for long-term storage and transportation, you need to start harvesting from about October 25th.

– What about frost resistance and the effect of frost on the crop, which occurs every few years?

– The seedlings I have grown during 15 years have withstood all the winters and colds. In 2008, there was a very cold winter in Uzbekistan. My seedlings were only two years old then, and I thought it was the time my experiments with kiwi ended. To my surprise, in spring I saw that the seedlings survived.

The frosts in late February and mid-March 2021 certainly affected the kiwi harvest. This year, the yield dropped to 25-30 kg per plant – almost 2 times lower than usual. But I still got kiwi harvest from every female plant.

– Do you plan to create industrial kiwi orchard in Uzbekistan?

– I am often asked this question, but I am mainly focused on other crops, and I do not have the land for such orchards. Growing kiwi is my hobby, caused by the desire to cultivate this plant in the conditions of Uzbekistan and see how it turns out.

As a commercial component of my hobby, I established a small business for growing and selling kiwi seedlings, accompanying and advising on its cultivation.

– How do you assess the interest of farmers in kiwi seedlings? Have there been any large orders?

– I did not have large orders for kiwi seedlings. The volume of orders is from a few to twenty seedlings, they are bought mainly for planting in subsidiary or personal plots. Accordingly, this kiwi harvest goes for personal consumption and almost does not enter the market.

According to EastFruit analysts, from 2017 to 2019, the volume of kiwi imports to Uzbekistan increased from 1.2 thousand tons to a record 4.1 thousand tons per year, and in 2020 decreased to 2.1 thousand tons. More than half was supplied from Iran, and the rest from Pakistan and Turkey. Small volumes of kiwi – up to 70 tons per year, are also imported from Chile, China and Russia (re-export). In 2021, Argentina joined the list of kiwi suppliers.

Currently, the average retail price for kiwi in supermarkets in Uzbekistan is 55,000 UZS/kg ($5.1/kg).

Obviously, the cost of growing kiwis in Uzbekistan will be lower than in the largest countries supplying them to the global market due to lower labor costs. Providing high humidity in the farm with sprinklers will also help protect kiwi from frost if necessary, since the sprinklers are the most effective protection system today when the temperature drops below zero in spring.

Given high prices in the domestic market, the commercial cultivation of kiwi in Uzbekistan can be profitable, EastFruit experts conclude. Moreover, thanks to the possibility to harvest kiwis riper, they can be sold more expensive than imported ones, as they will be more delicious. And if the locals try really tasty kiwi and tell their friends, the consumption of these fruits in the country can rise sharply, creating new opportunities for investment in production. Then exports can be considered. For instance, in neighboring Tajikistan, the popularity of kiwi is growing rapidly and it has already become a must-have of the New Year’s table.

Сообщение Growing kiwi in Uzbekistan – grower’s experience появились сначала на EastFruit.

Jorge Duarte, a Portuguese agronomist who advises berry growers, was hired by USAID’s agriculture program in Georgia to advise local growers. After a series of online seminars in 2020, he visited berry plantations in Georgia twice in April and July 2021. Since Jorge has extensive experience working with berries in Morocco, Egypt, Romania, Spain, Italy, Turkey, EastFruit Georgian experts discussed the current state and prospects of blueberry production in Georgia with him.

– What was your first impression of the blueberry sector in Georgia?

– In July, I visited several small and large blueberry plantations in the Guria region. Large blueberry farms in Portugal are rare, on average they do not exceed 2 hectares. Blueberries are a very labor-intensive crop – it can take 25 people to harvest one hectare. As more plantations are established, producers are facing labor shortages now. And this will continue in the future due to competition between various sub-sectors and companies. The same thing happened in Portugal, which led to the mechanization of some processes such as pruning. Harvesting is still done manually. After spending one week in orchards in Georgia, I can conclude that the level of mechanization is low or absent.

– Georgian producers believe that manual picking helps to preserve the high quality of berries and thus they sell better on the fresh market, what can you say about this?

– This is true throughout the world, not only in Georgia. But it is relevant only when growing old varieties, as in Georgia. The main producing countries are now planting new varieties that are more resistant and adapted to mechanical harvesting. Cultivation of new varieties is now a trend in Portugal as well, growers started planting them 3-4 years ago. However, the area planted with new varieties in Georgia is small. Georgian growers should get acquainted with modern varieties suitable for mechanized harvesting, as they will face even more shortage of labor for manual harvesting in the future.

– Which varieties are suitable for mechanical harvesting?

– You can mechanize harvesting on any blueberry farm, but the percentage of damaged fruits will vary. The goal of mechanical harvesting is to harvest high quality berries with less losses. For milder varieties such as New Hanover, Star or even Legacy, which can also be soft in extreme temperatures, it will be difficult to use machines without getting a lot of softer berries. This is not recommended, but still possible if a producer can handle a higher waste rate. One of the best varieties for mechanical harvesting is Duke, a High Chill variety. There are also good Mid Chill and Low Chill varieties, such as Top Shelf, Blue Ribbon and Suziblue.

For mechanized harvesting, areas should be planted with blueberries in a pattern that allows to harvest and trim bushes properly. All this should be considered before planting. As far as I know, there are no blueberry plantations in Georgia suitable for mechanized harvesting now.

– Can existing plantations be adapted for mechanical harvesting?

– The main peculiarity of the planting scheme is the distance between rows and pruning. Plants should be pruned so that they grow straight and do not open. It is necessary to remove low branches and prepare the plants for mechanical harvesting. The resistance of fruits to mechanical harvesting, as well as distance between the plants are also important. The machines on the market are designed for a row spacing of 2.5-3 meters.

It is possible to adapt existing harvesters, or you can find smaller machines that can be attached to your tractor. Finefields from the Netherlands and Tresac from Serbia are known in this market.

– Are Georgian farmers ready now for these changes?

– I think that farmers are now busy with other issues such as commercialization, having enough people to harvest and the quality of products. Other challenges relate to studying the use of a cooling system to maintain quality and improve irrigation management. Irrigation is not well designed in terms of the number of drippers per meter, which interferes with good water distribution around the root zone. Producers should take into account that blueberries have a very shallow root system. It is mostly 20 cm deep and plants need a lot of water in the spring and summer. Some of the producers I have seen have installed inefficient irrigation systems.

Another aspect growers should pay attention to is fertilization and soil improvement. The soil in the region of Guria is rich in clay – 50-70%, which is bad for blueberries. The soil for blueberries should be light so that water can penetrate well. I have seen too heavy soils and insufficient soil improvement work (correct weed removal, improving natural soil drainage with rippers, increasing/decreasing soil pH with lime or sulfur, adding extra organic matter to improve rooting, etc.). For tall ridges, I would recommend 40 cm high and 90-100 cm wide, which is very important for oxygenating the root system and improving water distribution. There were several successful growers, but they did it at a rough guess.

It is also important to plan your blueberry plantation in advance. Modern farmers cannot wait two or three years to start harvesting. They must harvest the first crop of berries one year after planting, at least 0.5 kg to 1 kg per plant, for which high quality planting material is needed. The market sells annual and biennial blueberry seedlings. Most nurseries plan to grow annuals rather than biennials as biennials require more space, resizing pots, and additional substrates, which makes seedlings more expensive. Biennial plants are usually used in climates with a shorter growing season than in Northern Europe.

Many farmers in Georgia plant in winter rather than spring, but spring is better because of higher temperatures and better light so that the plants grow and develop the root system faster. Another issue is ordering plants on time, at least 1,5 years before planting. If one thinks about planting in 3 months, he risks buying second-class seedlings from nurseries, mostly leftovers. In nurseries, seedlings are planted by in vitro propagation (common) or stem cuttings (currently less common) with sufficient time (3-6 months) before they grow in 1L, 1.5L or 2L pots that are used often.

Nurseries and growers can both benefit if they know in advance what to supply (varieties, quantity and type of plants), leading to improved service and quality of purchased plants. With that said, I believe that any blueberry plantation project should be planned at least 2 years in advance, not 6 months as I saw in Georgia.

– What can be the solution for plantations that grow poorly?

– If the plants do not start to grow well a year or two after planting, it is better to remove them from the field and replant. I quote Dave Brazelton, who is very well skilled in blueberries, who said, “You have two years to love blueberries and your whole life to hate them.”

If farmers do not cope with the planting material and soil preparation, they will not be successful enough with this crop, especially on such heavy soils, as I have seen in the Guria region, so they must do everything well.

The climate in the Guria region seems to be quite suitable for growing blueberries, but the soil has some issues, such as a high percentage of clay, which is not recommended, but still can be used to grow blueberries.

As I read in one of your publications, blueberry plantations have existed in Georgia since 2012. Nowadays, when the market is very demanding, growers should focus on improving plantation design, soil and irrigation system characteristics, gaining basic knowledge of the operations, both pruning, and continuing a good and sustainable soil and plant fertilization program.

To summarize, as I understand it, large companies have already learned some of these lessons from their own mistakes, and now new producers must learn that. I also believe that blueberry growers could benefit from joining forces to improve communication with each other, learn from others and create a true blueberry industry in Georgia that is new and dynamic and could be an important newcomer to the export market.

Сообщение Jorge Duarte: an effective blueberry industry can be created in Georgia появились сначала на EastFruit.

Experts of Moldovan organizations of winegrowers believe that table grapes of the main export variety “Moldova” of the new harvest will become available on the market at least three weeks later this year than in the previous two or three years. They note that in most areas of grape cultivation of this variety “half of the berries in bunches are still green, sugar content is far from a minimum required of 17%.” This is due to precipitation in July-August.

In this regard, it is worth recalling that, as reported by EastFruit, in July some winegrowing experts assumed that, despite unusual weather – cool, rainy spring and early summer, Moldova table grapes would be able to recover in the second half of summer. As a result, the first table grapes may appear on sale in the first half of September. But many growers agree now that only “Moldova” will ripen to the required conditions in September in vineyards on the tops of hills.

In previous seasons, only Moldova table grapes arrived at maturity in irrigated vineyards by mid-October. But thanks to rains in the second half of summer this year, “it seems as if all the vineyards in the country are under irrigation”, the growers say.

Read also: Low prices for Moldovan summer apples are a wake-up call for local growers – Opinion

In addition to delayed ripening, the abundance of moisture can have a different effect, experts say. In some previous years, precipitation during the table grape harvest (following extended dry periods) caused berries cracking and spoiling. This year, due to berries having accumulated a lot of moisture, “the risk of cracking is reduced even in the case of a rainy autumn.”

Сообщение Table grapes of Moldova variety will become available on the market only in October появились сначала на EastFruit.

Cucumber prices in Georgia peaked last week after falling sharply in late May. July is the open field season and prices usually decline, but last week there was an opposite trend. Market participants explain the current peak prices by various reasons.

According to EastFruit monitoring data, as of July 8, 2021, the average price for cucumbers was 1.5 GEL ($ 0.48), which is a record figure for this period. For comparison, last year in the same period it was 0.3 GEL ($ 0.1).

What caused the rise in prices?

One of the reasons is the dry and hot weather in recent weeks in the Kvemo Kartli region, which has led to a decrease in the harvest of cucumbers in the open field. According to Vano Tsukilashvili, a spokesman for Marneuli Agro, a large vegetable and fruit processing plant in the Kvemo Kartli region, the company has harvested cucumbers on 14 hectares this year. Marneuli Agro growsits own cucumbers for the production of canned pickles, as local farmers do not grow the varieties of cucumbers they need for production. Vano Tsukilashvili notes that dry weather may be the reason for the current high prices, since it resulted in the company harvesting 30% less cucumbers than planned this year.

“Rain is very important for a good harvest of cucumbers even when the plot is irrigated; in hot and dry weather, watering alone will not bring good results,” Vano Tsukilashvili says.

Geronti Sivsivadze, spokesman for the Marneuli Division of Georgia’s Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture, notes that local farmers are moving the production of cucumbers and other vegetables to greenhouses as it becomes increasingly difficult to grow them in open field.

Another reason for the sharp rise in prices last week may have been the low prices in May, after which many farmers abandoned cucumber production.

According to 2020 data by the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, the Kvemo Kartli region ranks first in Georgia in terms of cucumber production. Its share in total production was 42% last year, followed by the regions of Kakheti (21%) and Imereti (13%).

Сообщение Cucumber prices in Georgia hit an unexpected peak in July появились сначала на EastFruit.