VITAGRO orchards thrive with high yields despite ongoing challenges of war and drought.

Each spring, these orchards bloom, and in summer and autumn, they provide an abundance of juicy berries and fruits. With each passing year, VITAGRO expands its planting areas, introduces innovative cultivation technologies, and replaces old trees and bushes with new varieties better suited to adapt to changing climate conditions.

Currently, the orchards are busy with autumn activities as the 2024 apple harvest begins. This year's apple cultivation covers 505 hectares, featuring seedlings mainly from Ukrainian and Italian nurseries, Malaire and Griba. The varieties being grown include Champion, Aidared, Pinova, Florina, Golden, Ligol, Gala, Modi, Renet Simirenko, Fuji, Jonagold, Red Delicious, and Williams Pride. All these varieties are selected to meet the needs of Ukrainian consumers and for export to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

"We started the 2024 harvest two weeks earlier this year, and the yield is promising, ranging from 40% to 70% per hectare. This is an improvement over last year, as the new plantations have produced a higher yield compared to previous ones. Harvesting is proceeding according to the established schedule, thanks to favorable weather conditions and the availability of modern harvesting equipment. After harvest, the apples undergo the entire preparation and storage process in our facilities, ensuring they retain their beneficial properties until sold. Before being shipped to consumers, each apple is sorted in our storage and sorting complex by color, caliber, and weight," says Oleksandr Baran, the Horticulture Agronomist.

In horticulture, VITAGRO strictly follows its principle of maintaining consistency by planting the same apple varieties in the same orchards. This approach simplifies cultivation and helps produce the highest quality apples. For several years, we have focused on exporting apples that meet international demand and supplying apples sought by supermarkets. Lower-quality apples are sold at reduced prices to markets or processing plants.

The area dedicated to pear plantations has remained nearly unchanged at 19 hectares, as have the areas for plums (11 hectares) and cherries (7 hectares). Next year, we plan to introduce new varieties of summer apples to satisfy domestic market demand, as well as new varieties of sweet cherries that are more profitable and attractive for export, as noted by Oleksandr.

This year’s drought-affected VITAGRO's orchards, but our gardeners analyzed the situation and leveraged their knowledge and experience to prevent various types of damage. They utilized kaolin clay and various preparations to enhance nutrition, including amino acids, to help the trees better endure stressful conditions.

In previous seasons, we implemented chemical thinning, adjusted nutrition to achieve uniform apple quality, and modified our use of gibberellins, antidepressants, and amino acids. Additionally, we improved our irrigation system and installed modern trellises for better support.

"We are continually introducing new strategies and technologies to optimize production as much as possible. The world is always evolving; there are already machines equipped with magnetic whirlers and automated systems capable of detecting every tree, which significantly reduces the use of agrochemicals. We are actively researching new products and monitoring consumer trends in preparation for changes. As the intensification of garden cultivation increases and row spacing becomes narrower, there is a growing need for more compact machinery," explains Oleksandr Baran, a horticultural agronomist.