On November 5, a joint meeting was held at the Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine with the Ukrainian Nut Association to discuss the prospects for the development of industrial almond growing in Ukraine. Experts emphasize that almond cultivation is not only a new branch of horticulture but also a matter of national security and economic independence. This was reported by the President of the Ukrainian Nut Association H. Yudin.
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Import is growing, it’s time to act
Almonds rank first in global nut production, accounting for 33% of the market. However, Ukraine remains a constant importer of almonds, purchasing them in large quantities annually.
Last year, the country imported 3.3 thousand tons of almond kernels, and in the first nine months of the current year, this figure has already reached 3.1 thousand tons. The monthly import dynamics increased by 22% compared to the same period last year.
As statistics show, currency expenditures on almond imports already exceed $20 million annually, and the forecast for 2025 predicts an increase to $22.14 million. At the same time, the projected import volume may reach 4.1 thousand tons.
Therefore, the desire to create profitable almond orchards adapted to Ukrainian soil-climatic conditions and the whims of weather with sudden spring frosts has become the vector of joint cooperation between scientists and nut growers.
From research to state support
The development of industrial almond growing has been in the focus of the Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences and the Ukrainian Nut Association since 2017. The first experimental plot was planted with various varieties of Ukrainian, Moldovan, and Spanish selections in the industrial orchard of the Filbert agricultural enterprise in the Odessa region under the guidance of director M. Sheiko.
The most thorough research on almond varieties continued in the “Almond Orchards” nursery under the leadership of V. Burov. Initially, the nursery operated near Oleshky in the Kherson region until the occupation, and since 2022, it has been established near Svitlovodsk in the Kirovograd region. Experimental almond plots were also established in other regions of the country.
Thanks to the efforts of the Ukrainian Nut Association in combination with the scientific substantiation of the Institute of Horticulture, the State Support Program for Horticulture based on Government Resolution No. 520 of May 23, 2023, was supplemented with the possibility of providing state grants to orchardists for the establishment of almond orchards in seven regions of Ukraine: Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Zakarpattia, Kirovohrad, and Donetsk.
Spanish experience for the Ukrainian climate
Based on numerous studies of experimental almond plantations in different locations in Ukraine, association experts together with the country’s scientific institutions concluded on the expediency of creating industrial orchards based on modern Spanish almond varieties with late flowering.
In December 2022, the Ukrainian Nut Association signed a licensing agreement with the leading Spanish research institution Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), the owner of almond varieties, for the dissemination of Spanish industrial almond varieties in Ukraine.
International experts within the State Breeding Program of Spain, starting from 1971, have been creating unique self-pollinating almond varieties with late flowering and high frost resistance for industrial almond orchards in mountainous areas and for northern regions with a continental climate.
During the research period of growing different almond varieties in Ukraine, Spanish varieties demonstrated the best cultivation and productivity indicators, winter hardiness, and frost resistance in different climatic zones of the country. They show vigorous growth, high resistance to sudden spring frosts, independence from bee pollinators, and start yielding almonds from the third year.
Practical results of growing Spanish varieties Penta and Makako in the “Almond Orchards” nursery in the Kirovograd region confirm the high productivity of these varieties. Seedlings planted in April 2023 already yielded the first crop with excellent characteristics by September 2025: fruit weight 3.22-3.63 g, kernel weight 1.12-1.16 g, kernel yield 32-35%.
Memorandum of cooperation
With the aim of developing industrial almond growing in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Nut Association, together with the Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine and the Mykolaiv State Agrarian University, held an International Scientific and Practical Almond Conference on September 12 at the “Almond Orchards” nursery in Svitlovodsk.
At the conference, a Memorandum of Cooperation for the development of almond growing in Ukraine was signed between the Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, the Institute of Climate-Oriented Agriculture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences, the Mykolaiv State Agrarian University, the Ukrainian Nut Association, and the “Almond Orchards” nursery.
Looking to the future
On November 5, at the Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine under the chairmanship of the acting director of the Institute, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor, Academician of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences Mykola Oleksandrovych Bublyk, a joint meeting-conference of the Institute of Horticulture and the Ukrainian Nut Association took place.
The discussion was attended by the deputy director of the Institute of Horticulture, Candidate of Biological Sciences V.V. Hrusha, the president of the Ukrainian Nut Association H. Yudin, the head of the nursery department of the Institute, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences V.A. Sobol, the chief agronomist of the Ukrainian Nut Association, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences O.A. Zelenko, the head of the “Almond Orchards” nursery V. Burov, and other experts from the Institute.
The meeting participants discussed an overview of the global almond market and the prospects for the development of industrial almond growing in Ukraine, technological possibilities for creating industrial orchards based on modern Spanish almond varieties, and the practice of growing seedlings on the GF677 rootstock. A decision was made to create an experimental plot at the Institute of Horticulture with leading self-pollinating Spanish almond varieties in November-December of the current year.
During the joint meeting-conference, a tasting of almonds of Spanish varieties grown in the “Almond Orchards” nursery was conducted, and their taste qualities and varietal features were discussed.
State position
Summing up the joint meeting-conference, the acting director of the Institute, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor, Academician of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences Mykola Oleksandrovych Bublyk emphasized:
“For the development of industrial almond growing in Ukraine and the expansion of industrial almond orchard establishment, we should not only consider it as the development of another horticultural direction. This is primarily our contribution to the state’s development. Because the expansion of almond orchards is the creation of a new direction of constant activity for orchardists and the creation of new jobs, the development of processing infrastructure with the creation of additional value.
Import substitution is not only a reduction of dependence on almond imports but also a reduction of currency expenditures, which are currently increasing and already exceed $20 million annually. Almond orchards are not only the beauty of blooming gardens but also air purification because each hectare of the orchard absorbs more than 40 tons of carbon dioxide CO₂ per year. Our assistance in the development of almond orchards is our state position!”