The Moldovan walnut producers will have a smaller harvest this year owing to this spring’s weather conditions that hampered pollination. There are fewer, but larger walnuts, the chairman of the Association of Walnut Exporters of Moldova Dumitru Vicol has told IPN.
According to Dumitru Vicol, the walnuts are large this year because the level of moisture in soil is high. The producers expect that the harvest will be similar to last year’s yield or by 40% lower than the annual average. Last year the harvest was low owing to excessive drought.
Dumitru Vicol also said that the harvest can be different from species to species. There are over 30 sorts of walnut trees in Moldova. Moldova exports about 8,000 tonnes of walnuts annually. The forecast for this year is 7,000 tonnes.
Walnut growing in Moldova is a business of the future. The walnut kernel is sold at high prices, while the costs for maintaining an orchard are relatively low. Furthermore, the fertile lands favor the cultivation of sorts of walnuts of a high quality.
The Moldovan walnut kernel is exported all over the world, especially to Germany, Austria, the UK, and France. A kilogram of kernel costs €6-9, depending on the quality.
About 100,000 lei is needed to plant an orchard of local sorts of walnut tees. The investments are recouped in 11 years of the planting. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry forecast that the walnut orchards in 2014 will occupy an area of about 11,600 hectares, as against 7,000 at present.
