Hazelnut producers will have the opportunity to benefit from free business advice from an American volunteer who will be in the country until February 27. The visit will take place within the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer program and implemented in our country by CNFA (Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture) Moldova.
American specialist Ross Penhallegon has over 50 years of experience in horticulture, especially in the cultivation of hazelnuts and walnuts, and in the past he has also worked as an extension specialist at the University of Oregon, USA.
The main purpose of the current visit is to develop the contents of a pocket guide in hazelnut production, as well as to organize a training on the best practices of pruning in hazelnut orchards.
At the same time, the expert plans to pay a field visit and give a lecture for students of the State Agrarian University of Moldova and a group of farmers on the cultivation of hazelnuts in an ecological system. The aspects approached by the volunteer will refer to the selection of the seed material, the planting scheme, the maintenance of the orchards, the harvesting, the processing and the commercialization of the production.
During his stay, Ross Penhallegon will mainly assist the members of the Alliance of the Value Chain in Organic Agriculture – MOVCA, including the company “Euro Alun”, which in turn provides advice to about 40 hazelnut producers across the country.
The importance of the assistance provided by the American expert lies in the fact that hazelnut orchards are a relatively new practice for the Republic of Moldova, and Euro Alun has recently imported from the USA several varieties of this crop: Dorris, Dundee, Eta, Felix, Gamma, Jefferson, McDonald , Sacajawea, Theta, Tonda Pacifica, Wepster, Yamhill and York.
Currently, about ten farmers grow organic hazelnuts on a total area of about 85 ha. At the same time, there is no significant processing or exports of hazelnuts, due to the still relatively small volume of production. (Moldpres/Business World Magazine)
