INSTEAD OF FOREWORD:

If you open the all-knowing modern Wikipedia, as well as, together with it, volume VIa of the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, written in 1892, there are quite a lot of types of WATERFALLS - starting from the classical one, all the way to the "horse tail" (it turns out that there are the name of varieties of waterfalls). At the same time, both venerable informative editions of different times make a general conclusion that this impressive natural phenomenon always captures the attention of all viewers...

However, the WALNUT FALL is not in the natural classification, but this does not mean that it cannot exist as a decoration that draws attention to itself.

Let me remind you that thanks to the development of cooperation with the ITC project in Ukraine, the Walnut Association again got the opportunity to have its own stand in the form of three branded stands at the collective Ukrainian stand at the International Exhibition GULFOOD-2021

Therefore, when preparing for the exhibition, I studied the location of the collective stand (I note that it is very successful - in the central pavilion of the Trade center arena exhibition), as well as the no less convenient location of three branded walnut stands (a whole "walnut row"!!!), decided it was in the flanking exhibition stand, located on the central aisle of the exhibition, to decoratively arrange two "walnut waterfalls" so that they immediately draw attention to themselves, directing exhibition visitors to the "walnut" row.

Therefore, the walnut campaign "VOL-NAT" (director A.V. Huk, Izmail, Odesa Region), which grows in its garden and successfully exports walnuts of the "Lara" and "Fernor" varieties, prepared two "nut waterfalls", which began with an impressive a slide made of own walnuts of 34 caliber in a shell, falling with a chopped kernel, whole and in halves. The natural color of the walnuts in the shell, the light core looked extremely effective on the bright blue base of the exhibition compartment of the stand. At the same time, Vladimir Huk's explanations in excellent fluent English stopped almost all visitors near the first exhibition stand of the "Walnut Row", behind which was located the Walnut Association, which presented the first walnut catalog of Ukraine, AGROPROM-ZAKARPATIE LLC (hazelnut orchards) and the company's export products. Agroselprom" (production and export of walnut and hazelnut oils).

On the second exhibition stand of the "nut row" were located LLC "PHAETON INC" (manager Kulyk A., nut and hazelnut orchards, processing complex, export) and LLC "GOLD PEANUT" (director V. I. Podorozhny, manager I. Podorozhny, hazelnut garden, processing and export of hazelnuts), advertising booklets of LLC "NOVY SVT TECH" (director Darovyh Polina, production of nut equipment, but at the same time she was the official translator of the nut delegation).

The third exhibition stand of the "nut row" was densely packed with exhibition samples of walnut processors and exporters from the companies: "UKR-VOLNAT" (director V.S. Chuba) and "AGRO TRADE LUBNY" (director A.M. Vailunov)

Thus, with the aim of strengthening the positioning of the Ukrainian nut industry in the world, forming its positive international image, in the "nut row" at the collective Ukrainian stand organized by the ITC project, the main vectors of the development of the industry were presented, starting from growing industrial nut and hazelnut orchards, to processing and export of nuts, hazelnuts, oil.

But in order to take a direct part in the Gulfood-2021 exhibition, everyone, both participants and visitors, had to come to the UAE no later than a day before the start of the exhibition, due to the mandatory completion of a PCR test in airport of arrival and daily quarantine waiting to receive the result in a hotel without the right to leave the city.

The OPENING of the Gulfood-2021 International Exhibition took place on February 21 at 10:00 a.m.

Of course, the coronavirus pandemic that has engulfed the planet could not help but affect the holding of an international exhibition, even one with a rating like Gulfood. Some pre-paid stands, especially those of companies from South and North America, did not arrive at all and stood completely empty throughout the exhibition.

Despite the much smaller number of visitors to the Gulfood exhibition than last year, it was sometimes difficult to approach the Ukrainian "nut row", especially on the first and second day of the exhibition.

By the end of the day, the legs were humming from the need to constantly stand at the counter, because the number of negotiation tables for the entire collective stand, according to the strict sanitary requirements of the exhibition organizers, was reduced to two, and the number of chairs behind them, to only four for the entire collective stand.

One chair was given to each exhibition stand, but there was little to sit on.

The control by the services of the exhibition organizers over the mandatory wearing of a protective mask on the face throughout the entire day of the exhibition was extremely strict and constant. Almost everyone's ears were burning from the loops of the sanitary mask by the end of the first day.

But at the same time, the number of visitors from visiting the stands also grew.

Among the official representatives of Ukraine, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs D. Yu. Senyk visited the exhibition. Despite the strict time schedule for getting acquainted with the exhibition and stands, Dmytro Senyk separately approached the exhibition stands of the "nut row" and familiarized himself with the walnut exhibition exhibits. Having sufficient experience in the promotion of Ukrainian export goods (since before the appointment of Deputy Minister D. Senyk, since 2015 he worked as the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Ukraine in Singapore, Brunei, New Zealand), Dmytro Yuriyovych promised to provide all necessary assistance in the promotion of nut products. .

Summarizing the previous results, it can be said with complete certainty that the course taken by the Ukrainian Nut Association to create a permanent international exhibition history, the formation of reputational capital and the image of a potential system partner in export, is correct - the recognition of the nut industry on the world nut market is increasing, there are real for the supply of walnuts, hazelnuts from industrial gardens. Therefore, all contacts and requests developed now will have to be translated into a specific form of cooperation before the new season.

Yesterday, the delegation of the walnut association returned to Ukraine.

After arriving at the Boryspil airport, the self-isolation program "Activate at home" was activated for everyone, which means taking a new PCR test and waiting for the result, in this case, negative.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION:

GULFOOD Exhibition (UAE, Dubai) is one of the world's most influential annual food, beverage and culinary exhibitions, with an unprecedented number of visitors, exhibitors and business transactions held during the four days of the exhibition.

GULFOOD is an important international platform, the global status of which is beyond doubt, because more than 5,000 companies from 120 countries and more than 97,000 visitors from 185 countries of the world participate in it. For this purpose, the exposition area of the Dubai World Trade Center (DWTC) has been increased to 127,000 square meters. m

The Gulfood exhibition is especially popular among visitors from the countries of the Persian Gulf region and the Middle East, since more than 95% of food products in the Gulf countries are imported, which, along with significant volumes of re-exports to the UAE, which are estimated at 15.8 billion US dollars, makes the Gulfood exhibition an important event

The countries of the Gulf or the countries of the GCC region (Gulf Cooperation Council) are one of the most promising markets in the world, according to the latest analytical studies of international marketing organizations. Now the gulf countries include 6 countries - Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. Jordan and Morocco have also been invited to participate, and Yemen is conducting negotiations to join the GCC countries.

Large financial resources invested in various areas of the economy are concentrated here. The region's GDP reaches $1,462 billion. The total area of the countries: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain is quite large - 2572.7 thousand square meters. km

In addition, the demographic situation here is changing extremely dynamically. According to the International Monetary Fund, the population in the countries of the GCC region will increase by 2.4% in 2021 and will number about 60.0 million people.

This region is considered one of the most promising in the context of the expansion of sales markets for the "Made in Ukraine" product. It is interesting that the GCC countries are 95% dependent on imports, and only 5% is domestic production: dates and processed products.

Similarly, cereals are imported, packed in local packaging and further sold as a product of own production. This region is popular with American and European manufacturers, who have long had their sales offices there. About $25 billion in annual imports - can we ignore such a market?

In addition, a number of countries in the Middle East are among the most affluent in the world with a high level of consumer income, and these are stable customers who are ready to pay a high price for QUALITY products - exactly what the domestic market of Ukraine lacks and which restrains the production of products with high added value in Ukraine.

If we talk about purchasing power, it is about $30,000 of GDP per capita. For example, in the poorest country - Oman - $15,000.

In addition, Dubai is the main trade gateway for markets in Asia, North and South Africa, India, and a number of other countries. The market covers more than 50 countries, 2 billion consumers.

Nuts and other nuts were one of the traditional occupations of the population of these countries.

FOR THE FIRST TIME, the Ukrainian Walnut Association made its debut at the Gulfood-2020 exhibition with its exhibition stand. One of the central places of the collective Ukrainian stand, organized by the ITC project in Ukraine, was given to the stand of the Walnut Association.

For the third year in a row, the NGO "Ukrainian Nut Association", as the industry association of the country, cooperates with the project "Promoting the exit of small and medium-sized enterprises of the fruit and vegetable sector to foreign markets", which is implemented by the International Trade Center (ITS) in Ukraine, aimed at improving the positioning and increasing the effectiveness of the promotion of Ukrainian walnut on world markets.

Thanks to the development of cooperation with the Project, the Walnut Association once again got the opportunity to have its own stand at the collective Ukrainian stand organized by the ITC project in Ukraine at the International Exhibition GULFOOD-2021, which will be held on February 21, 2021 - February 25, 2021 in Dubai (UAE).

But at the Gulfood-2021 exhibition, the participants of the collective Ukrainian stand will have better opportunities to participate than last year, due to the fact that the Ukrainian stand this time is located in one of the central pavilions of the exhibition - TRADE CENTER ARENA.

But that's not all. The collective Ukrainian stand, organized by the ITC project in Ukraine at the Gulfood-2021 exhibition, has 10 exhibition stands, branded exhibition stands, located on the total territory of the collective exhibition area of 48 square meters.

And here I really want to say kind words to the ITC project team, who, understanding the importance of creating a new international image for the nut industry of Ukraine, gave away almost a third of the collective stand free of charge - THREE out of ten exhibition stands for the NUT INDUSTRY OF UKRAINE.

HUGE THANKS to you - specialists of the ITS project in Ukraine under the leadership of Olena Kolomoitseva!!!

But what is it for?

So far, few people perceive Ukraine on the world market as a country that can occupy high ranks in the niche of growing and exporting high-quality walnuts. This picture in the industry is explained by the rather low quality of Ukrainian walnut, more than 95% of which is collected in home yards and forest strips and hastily, without high-quality finishing of exported ones.

In addition, for successful positioning in foreign markets, it is necessary to understand that exports are not one-time sales abroad, which today are massively carried out by one-day firms ("gray" exports), and then disappear without a trace in order not to pay taxes and leave money offshore . Export is a permanent system sales channel that requires stability. All these components (and unregulated legislation should be added to this) maximally reduce the price of Ukrainian walnut to the level of CHEAP RAW MATERIALS.

The modern walnut industry needs REBRANDING - a comprehensive, strategic change of the existing outdated BRAND of Ukrainian walnut on world markets.

Today, industrial nut orchards with varietal quality nuts are already growing. How to make a significant breakthrough in the export of industrial batches, when the brand of Ukrainian walnut abroad, formed over the years, is "below the plinth"? And here the main message of experts in the fruit and berry industry is absolutely correct - COMBINATION of gardens with quality products to create SYSTEMATIC, not situational export. And we must solve this task ourselves at home, inside Ukraine. However, even if we have united in the creation of varietal batches and "you will not be full" with this alone, we need customers for high-quality nuts, we need export.

And for this, it is necessary to present the nut industry at the global level as a well-established industrial business, which has an infrastructure capable of providing systematic export supplies of high-quality nuts - it has its own industrial orchards with varietal nuts, high-tech processing in technically equipped processing enterprises, "white" exporters from sufficient experience. It is necessary to show the advantages of the system nut business and the quality of the variety nuts collected in industrial orchards to potential international partners (by the way, the great actress Faina Ranevska claimed that modesty is beautiful only when there is nothing else to adorn oneself with).

But we aim to show the world community at the Gulfood-2021 exhibition not only varietal walnut. This is not enough.

Commercial hazelnut orchards are growing and beginning to bear fruit in Ukraine, which Ukraine has practically never exported, the quality of which is guaranteed by its cultivation in orchards. Therefore, we have another important task for the exhibition - the formation of a BRAND OF QUALITY HAZELNUTS from industrial gardens!!!

That is why the official delegation of the Ukrainian Nut Association was formed from 12 representatives of the entire infrastructural industrial link of the nut industry of Ukraine. The delegation includes managers of industrial nut and hazelnut orchards, processing enterprises, experienced exporters (but I will introduce you to each member of the Nut delegation in the following information).

In addition to the representative delegation, we prepared for the first time for the world nut community the NUT CATALOG OF UKRAINE.

On the 48 pages of the English-language catalog, FOR THE FIRST TIME at the world level, the existence of a developed industrial nut industry of Ukraine, which can export walnuts and hazelnuts collected in industrial orchards, processed to the required quality on high-tech equipment, and formed into export batches for the most demanding international buyers, will be shown.

48 pages, both in paper and digital, electronic versions with their own QR codes and addresses, are divided into three sections:

1. Industrial orchards of walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds

2. Processing enterprises and experienced exporters

3. Manufacturers of industrial processing equipment

In addition, a video film "Walnut business card of Ukraine" and many other accessories were prepared in order to PROPERLY SHOW THE POSSIBILITIES OF THE WALNUT INDUSTRY OF UKRAINE.

The purpose of my first information in general is to tell you about the plans of the Ukrainian Nut Association to participate in the huge world exhibition - GULFOOD-2021, which will be held from February 21 to 25 in the city of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Further, in the following messages, we will inform you in more detail about the preparation and participation in the exhibition GULFOOD-2021...

Instead of EPILOGUE: 50 years ago, in December 1971, six wise Emirs (a seventh joined them during the following year), got together and decided to create an OASIS in their desert country, criss-crossed by camel tracks.

If you open the all-knowing Wikipedia: an oasis is an area in the middle of a sluggish, practically lifeless environment, on which there is LIFE.

But the six wise emirs, having lived all their lives in the desert, were not fools at all, realizing that they would not be able to change the hot climate of the desert. Therefore, when creating the country, they set for themselves the main goal - to make the COUNTRY an OASIS for a comfortable human LIFE.

This is how the UAE appeared on the world map. And today, looking at the dizzying skyscrapers, the latest technologies, it is already possible to say with confidence - the inhabitants of the desert managed to create an OASIS for LIFE for themselves, for their families and the inhabitants of the former desert country.

Today, you and I plant and grow WALNUTS, HAZELNUTS, ALMONDS, which have almost the best taste of all nuts in the world, because they are grown on the best soils. The standard of Ukrainian chernozem is located in Paris, as a reference sample for all soils in the world.

Today, we grow our nut orchards with thoughts about well-being from the realization of the nut harvest. Can we TOGETHER create a NUT OASIS, uniting to create a decent price for our Ukrainian nut, our work.

CONTINUATION

From the previous information, you learned that thanks to the development of cooperation with the ITC Project in Ukraine, the Nut Association again got the opportunity to have its own stand at the collective Ukrainian stand at the International Exhibition GULFOOD-2021, which will be held on 21.02.2021 - 25.02.2021 in the city of Dubai (UAE ) ).

And, as I wrote earlier, the collective Ukrainian stand, organized by the ITC project, at the Gulfood-2021 exhibition, has 10 branded exhibition stands located on the common territory of the collective exhibition area of 48 square meters.

Understanding the importance of strengthening the positioning of the Ukrainian nut industry in the world, forming its positive international image, the ITC project allocated almost a third of the collective stand free of charge - THREE OUT OF TEN branded exhibition stands for representatives of the nut industry of Ukraine.

According to the Ukrainian Nut Association, as of the beginning of 2021, there are about 11.2 thousand hectares of commercial nut orchards in Ukraine (including walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds - hereinafter: nuts).

Only in the period 2018-2020, that is. over the past THREE YEARS, 4,596 hectares of nut orchards were planted under the budget program of state support for horticulture, which were given monetary compensation in the amount of up to 80% of the cost of purchased and planted varietal certified seedlings. Which, in turn, is 48% of the area of all planted gardens, vineyards, and berry orchards in Ukraine during this period.

Nut horticulture, especially in the last three to four years, has experienced a transition to intensive technologies, the use of advanced technological schemes for cultivation, processing, nutrition and protection of industrial orchards. Planting of new gardens is carried out with more intensive varieties.

The high-tech "muscles" of nut processors and exporters are being built up, new and advanced equipment for processing and preparing nuts for export is being purchased. Ukrainian manufacturers of nut equipment "grew up".

Since 2020, on the initiative of the Nut Association, the line of technological equipment for the primary processing of nuts in orchards and further processing has been expanded with 30% monetary compensation as part of the budget State Support Program.

Industrial nut orchards, established in the early period, have already begun to bear fruit. In 2020, for the first time, contracts for the supply of graded walnuts from industrial walnut orchards, which are part of the Ukrainian Walnut Association, were implemented. And the Walnut Association itself expanded due to the entry into its composition, in addition to gardeners, also processors, exporters, manufacturers of Ukrainian nut equipment.

The nut industry is on the industrial "rails".

At the same time, despite the fact that Ukraine occupies the FOURTH PLACE in the world for nut exports, we see that so far, few people perceive HORIHOVA UKRAINE on the world market as a country that can take a worthy step in the niche of growing and exporting high-quality walnuts , as a PARTNER in ensuring permanent systematic export.

Nut exports from Ukraine are perceived as high-risk operations. The imperfection of Ukrainian legislation, the crushing of one-day firms, the existing schematic "gray" export gives rise to loud nut scandals, which are perceived by potential foreign buyers as the existence of a "nut mafia".

The Ukrainian exporter is sometimes looked at as a representative of Al Capone, Pablo Escobar or John Gotti.

Therefore, large deliveries of Ukrainian nuts "for the sake of peace" are carried out through Turkish or other foreign companies. Until last year, Turkey was the number 1 IMPORTER of Ukrainian nuts.

And then, WHAT IS THE PERSPECTIVE FOR GARDENERS who invest their money, strength, and years to grow a nut garden that bears fruit???

Use the services of one-day firms that work for a maximum of 2-3 months?

Plunge into "GRAY" EXPORT and "smear" the varietal purity of your garden, which you cultivated day and night for several years before the appearance of your own nut crop?

Become a PERMANENT SUPPLIER of intermediaries, "repurchases"?

The Ukrainian Nut Association STRONGLY DISAGREES with such a perspective!!! As well as gardeners who do not agree, who understand that if the instinct of self-preservation of the efforts, years, funds, and hopes invested in the garden does not work, natural selection will work. No one canceled Darwin's theory!

With this in mind, the Walnut Association announced exactly one year ago, on January 30, at the general meeting of the Association's members, the course to create an EXPORT PEANUT STRATEGY.

YES, an extremely complex and multi-vectored task, especially given our mentality. And by the way, it cannot be solved right away, just like reputational capital cannot be earned in the foreign market.

I will not repeat now again about the need for cooperation, the prospects of creating collective varieties of walnut batches, the effectiveness of their export sales. Many managers of orchards, who held in their hands their own, so far, not great harvest, which came to them with enormous labor and were sold to "buyers" for "pennies", understand the true meaning of the folk saying that it's easier to beat a father in a group.

Systemic access to foreign markets becomes a natural stage in the development of a successful nut business.

And therefore, for the successful promotion of Ukrainian walnut on foreign markets, in addition to directly varietal, high-quality walnut, its positive image is also needed.

For this purpose, the NUT CATALOG was created for the FIRST TIME, which included, in addition to the large walnut, hazelnut, and almond orchards of Ukraine, processing and exporting enterprises, Ukrainian manufacturers of nut equipment - representatives of the NUT INDUSTRY.

The 48 pages of the English-language catalog will make it possible to show GORYHOVA UKRAINE for the FIRST time as an industry that has the potential to become a reliable business partner.

...I am holding in my hands a copy of the NUT CATALOG that is still raw, just from the printing press. Its specimens will be seen for the first time at the international exhibition GULFOOD-2021.

Today I am posting only the front cover and the last page of the Catalogue. After its presentation at the exhibition, a digital copy of the CATALOG will be freely available on the website of the Ukrainian Walnut Association.

There is very little time left - only 5 days until the opening of the exhibition!

President of the Ukrainian Nut Association G. Yudin