Every year Ukraine exports more than 30,000 tonnes of walnuts, making it Europe’s largest exporter. The EU, the Middle East and Central Asia are the main buyers of Ukrainian walnuts. Main foreign buyers of Ukrainian walnuts come from France (14% of all Ukrainian exports), Turkey (11%) and Greece (10%).
Most of the walnuts produced in Ukraine are grown by small, privately run family farms that harvest trees growing on their land or near their farms. This category of producer does not typically use fertilisers or agrochemicals and relies on manual labour to harvest and shell the walnuts. After harvesting, walnuts are usually sold to intermediaries, who combine them into large batches for export.
Ukrainian farmers have been developing walnut orchards for commercial purposes since 2009. The average size of these plantations ranges from 20 ha to 50 ha. In 2018 the total area of commercially grown walnut trees reached 5,200 ha, double the figure for 2016. This growth in commercial production is attributable to continued financial support from the state for orchard and berry producers and to the strong profit margins achieved by the sector.
The latest data confirms this growth trend in commercial walnut production. Farmers are investing in the development of high-yield commercial orchards consisting of multiple walnut varieties, installing irrigation systems and using fertilisers. Certain commercial growers have already planted as many as 500-600 ha of walnut orchards.
In the coming years Ukrainian plantations will offer hazelnuts and almonds for foreign buyers.
Stakeholders
The Ukrainian Nut Association represents 136 members and more than 2,000 associate members from all regions of Ukraine, including nurseries (seedlings for nut-bearing crops), industrial gardens, nut processing companies and exporters.