Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/386317
26 OCTOBER 2014 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com back into productive use, is making land avail- able and subsidizing orchard plantings. Those who are able to put a little cash together can obtain a 49-year lease on a few hectares and eventually pay it off and own the land. There are about 2.5 acres to a hectare. Mathews said the young growers are thankful for the opportunity to get a step up and move forward. Weber pointed out, however, that the plant- ing subsidy has been paid on a per-hectare basis, which was a disincentive to plant trees on modern, high-density systems. Growers felt they were better off spreading their trees over more hectares. The government has begun to monitor the subsidy program and to encourage modern systems. One of the problems growers have had in establishing orchards has been the lack of a reli- able source of trees and rootstocks. "I don't think the farmer had any clue what he was buying, and he could not buy a thou- sand trees alike, so you couldn't manage that orchard well," Mathews said. "When you have a half-acre with ten different things on it, it's impossible to spray at the right time and engage in good horticultural practices." The MEO Group has started a nursery and launched a for-profit business selling quality nursery trees and trellis materials to growers. Profits fund the nonprofit training program for small-scale family growers. Low-input system Because of financial contraints, growers have been using a low-input system to mini- mize growing costs. Most Kazakh fruit is grown only for the local markets, and little is exported. "In Washington State, the guy who's trying to do it on half a checkbook is generally the guy who doesn't succeed," Weber said. "You either grow the quality required to get the apples in the box, or you're out." Washington growers need to prune the trees, thin the crop, and use all kinds of inputs, such as fertilizer, so that the fruit is good enough to be sold all over the world, he pointed out. "I didn't see the amount of input costs that we would be required to put in to produce a high-quality product," Weber said. "But I think they have a market that's satisfied with sec- ond-tier product. If your input costs are half as much, maybe you can receive half the price and make it work." Most of the growers sell their apples inde- pendently. Although some of the fruit is sold in retail stores in the country's largest city, Almaty, much of the crop is sold in the fall and winter from roadside stands or from the back of a truck. "That's the market they have," Weber said. "The farmers are smart enough to realize, 'I'm not going to spend more money to put a beau- tiful box together if I don't get paid for it.'" Sharing a joke are (from left) Nurpolat Abubakriev, manager of the Seven Rivers Nursery; Steve Weber; Keith Mathews; Patrick Brady, consultant with Middle Earth Orchard Group; and Axmet, sales manager at the nursery. Because there's a market for low-grade fruit, Kazakh growers can adopt a low- input strategy to minimize growing costs. Growers sell apples out of the back of their trucks at street markets. "They have a market that's satisfied with second-tier product." —Steve Weber