A yield of 30 tons per hectare of apples no longer guarantees an orchard’s profitability, according to an expert
6 June 18:12
An apple orchard yield of 30 tons per hectare, which until recently was considered a good result, is increasingly failing to provide the necessary economic returns for the farm. Andriy Kuzmichenko, chief agronomist at Sunny Garden LLC, wrote about this in his article for the magazine “Ukrainian Gardening .” "Komersant Ukrainian" reports this with a reference to AgroTimes.
According to him, rising costs for energy, plant protection products, and labor are forcing orchardists to rethink their production approaches.
“If an orchard consistently yields even 80 t/ha without any fluctuations, it is already profitable. At a yield of 30 t/ha, the operation is not economically viable,” Kuzmichenko noted.
The agronomist cited examples of farms that, thanks to modern tree-training systems, yield 70 t/ha of apples without irrigation, while some orchards using irrigation approach the 100 t/ha mark. At the same time, he emphasizes that even a high yield does not guarantee success without proper product quality.
“There are two factors an agronomist cannot influence—the weather and the market. Therefore, the main task is to work with what can be controlled: technology, costs, and product quality. If there is quality, the product can be sold,” he emphasized.
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