The Moldovan walnut is the best in the world. There is something in the territory between the Prut and Nistru Rivers that make the Moldovan walnuts better than the rest, executive director of the Union of Associations of Walnut Producers of Moldova Constantin Gajim stated for IPN.

According to the producer, the Moldovan and Chilean walnuts are the most appreciated in the world. The state register of Moldova includes 14 sorts of walnuts, but among the best sorts are Peschianski, Kogalniceanu, Cazacu and Codrene. The sort Costiujenschi yields fewer walnuts, but is a very good pollinizer for the other sorts.

Constantin Gajim said to start a walnut business, investments of about €1,400-€1,500 per hectare are needed during the first year. When the planted area is larger, the costs associated with designing, transportation and technical documentation decrease. The optimal areas for planting are 5 to 50 hectares.

The Union of Associations of Walnut Producers recommends removing the young fruit during the first three years of the planting so that the tree develops better roots. Walnuts can be harvested starting with the fourth year.

On the fourth year, a walnut tree yields about 100 walnuts, which is about 1 kilogram of walnut kernel. On the sixth year, the harvest is of 3.5 kg of kernel a tree on average. Constantin Gajim gathered most 730 walnuts from a tree, which is over 8 kg of kernel.

Constantin Gajim recommends those who want to start a business in the field not to expect that they will earn a sack of dollars in autumn if they plant walnut trees in spring. To obtain a harvest, the trees should be looked after during at least five years. The orchard should be also guarded as there are persons who dare to steal walnuts.

In 2016, the state offered subsidies of 20,000 lei per hectare for planting walnut trees, but in 2017 the sum decreased to 18,000 per hectare of walnut, hazelnut and almond tree orchard. This year the foreign sorts of walnut will not be subsidized.

The Union of Associations of Walnut Producers of Moldova was founded in 2006. It brings together about 180 producers, but there are many persons with walnut orchards who didn’t join this.