Without the financial assistance of the state, without serious support programs for producers and lacking certain investments Moldovan entrepreneurs will not manage to obtain good results in cultivating walnut trees, the chairman of the Union of Walnut Trees Producers Associations, Alexandru Jolondcovschi declared. According to him, although producers understand that the budgetary possibilities of the state are limited, they consider that without the state’s support they will not manage to obtain high incomes in this field. At present, the quality of the seeding material, proposed by the nurseries of Moldova, does not comply with the European standards, he noted. „The low quality of the material is the result of the fact that we do not own modern producing technologies of a high quality grafted seedling.” The specialist said, mentioning that in the nurseries of Europe the process of planting grafted trees has a rate o 90%, instead in Moldova this rate is 15-20%, and that’s why the costs are insufficient and „much money is spent in vain”. Not even this year the nurseries will be able to present to the interested businessmen the volume of required seeding material, because of the weather and, especially, the frosty winter. The expert also highlighted that the appropriate institutions of the state, especially the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAIA), should organize seminars regarding practical activities, and to invite European specialists in order to train the local ones in the modern producing technologies. Moldovan businessmen and farmers realized the profitableness of walnut trees, which, according to Jolondcovschi, can bring higher incomes than 4,000 dollars annually per hectare of plantations. Even if the major problem is now the lack of seeding high quality material, at the moment there is a demand of seeding material for a surface of 5,000 hectares and continues to increase. Jolondcovschi noted that „we would have what to be proud of” in case when, with the government’s support, we will obtain 100,000 hectares of plantations, mentioning that in this situation when the farmers have 1-2 hectares a higher profitableness is difficult to get to. Walnut Tree Support Fund is too small, in his opinion, as those 3 million lei accumulated of the tax of 1% on export is too little to stimulate the producers, in conditions when a Moldovan-produced young tree costs 10-15 dollars, while imported are by far more expensive. Specialists say that, of those 9 world walnut types, 7 types would grow successfully on Moldova’s territory, walnut producers being able to take part in land consolidation projects. Jolondcovschi gave some examples that the hazelnut tree might resist on plantations of 60 years, on land with lower quality where the common walnut tree would not resist. Regarding the export level, UAPCN chairman showed his concern that “very soon we would not have what to export”, as it is planted very little, and the existent trees are exploited savagely. The most serious is, in the specialist’s opinion, the fact that the walnut import phenomenon appeared in RM. UAPCN includes 30 specialized associations from all over the country, including the Exporters Association and the one of Seedling Material Producers. Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev stated recently that the walnut branch can become a golden mine for RM. He required to UAPCN (of which honor president he is), to draft, together with the authorities, a plan of concrete actions for the branch’s development. At the same time, the prime minister underlined the important role of science in development of this culture, appreciating the creation of the Center for Walnut Tree Crops. Referring to the issue of deficit of seedling material, the prime minister required to specialists to make concrete proposals to support the actions of creating nurseries. MAIA plans to increase more than 5-fold the surfaces of walnut plantations, for a significant growth of quality walnut export volume, appreciated on European markets. The ministry wants to get by 2015 a total figure of 16,000 hectares of such plantations. MAIP deputy minister Anatolie Spivacenco stated previously that the program of extending the walnut plantations is lasting for 3 years already, and once the autumn planting works are closed, there would be added other 400 hectares planted this year to those 3,000 hectares. Further it is planned to plant about 1,000 hectares annually. The resources of the Walnut Tree Support Fund, created of the collection of 1% of the exported walnuts, are used for subvention with 50% of the activities for producing walnut seedling material, in order to create the technical-material base, especially for cultivating and maintaining the plantations. Statistic data show that 10,000 tones of kernel are exported annually, at the average price of 5 euro per 1 kilogram.