003-2012-09-NOA_gherkin.success_story.docx

High-yielding “Marabella” gherkins growing on a trellis on the farm of Izet Kastrati, outside Kosovo’s Peja/Pec. The young cucumbers are harvested when 3 to 6 centimeters in length.

Photo: Bruce Williams

Kosovo farmers are using trellised gherkin production to increase yields and profits, paving the way for the substitution of the imported gherkins that help satisfy the local appetite for pickles.

TINY GHERKINS BIG BUSINESS IN KOSOVO

U.S. Agency for International Development www.usaid.gov Pickle production in Kosovo is big business. However, farmers do not grow enough young cucumbers, or gherkins, to satisfy local demand. Indeed, Kosovo’s pickle processors have been importing tons of gherkins, from countries as far away as India, each year. In 2011, research indicated that trellised cucumber production, coupled with better crop management practices, would enable Kosovo farmers to profitably meet the gherkin demands of domestic pickle processors.

USAID’s New Opportunities in Agriculture (NOA) program subsequently established a project involving 23 farmers. The farmers established 12 hectares of gherkin production, on individual plots ranging from 0.5 to 1.0 hectares in size. Results from the spring 2012 gherkin crop indicate that trellised gherkin production, coupled with drip irrigation, correct soil fertility and modern varieties, yields an average of 40 tons of gherkins per hectare, or four times the average 10 tons per hectare achieved by Kosovo farmers using traditional methods. In addition, trellised production results in higher-quality fruit. Indeed, trellised gherkins fetch an average of 0.35 Euros per kilogram, a significant premium over the 0.25 Euros per kilogram averaged by traditional field-grown gherkins.

Higher yields and improved quality indicate that trellised production will significantly increase the profitability of Kosovo’s gherkin producers. Wider adoption of innovative production techniques also will help Kosovo to become self-sufficient in gherkin production, eliminating its reliance on imported product.

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