Informations et ressources scientifiques
sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

Titre : Modern pine nut processing facility in Afghanistan

Pays : Afghanistan

Dates : Start date : 1 July 2012 // End date : 27 January 2021

Identification projet : NL-KVK-27378529-PSIP12AF03

Programme : Private Sector Investment programme (PSI)

Présentation
Pine nuts are worldwide used as a snack and are an ingredient for many oriental and Mediterranean dishes. Pine nuts are not cultivated but collected. There are twenty different varieties with different prices. Afghanistan has one of the most tasty varieties and is therefore highly valued. Most pine nuts are shipped to Pakistan and mixed with inferior qualities. Pine nut quality depends mostly on timely drying, to prevent the development of dangerous toxins. Shipment to Pakistan significantly reduces quality and price. The applicant is a Dutch company specialised in processing and trading nuts, seeds, pulses and spices. Together with the local partner, he aims to set up a processing facility in Northern Afghanistan and to ship the processed nuts directly to Europe. In this way, value is added in Afghanistan and quality preserved. A major challenge is to set up a supply chain in Afghanistan. Pine trees are "assigned" to tribes by the government and passed on to villagers who have the right to collect the nuts. The local partner will offer the villagers a contract, paying 50% before and 50% after delivery, using a predetermined price. The villagers will organise themselves in groups and be represented by the village chairman. This is an improvement : often the nuts are collected by foreign traders who do not always pay the agreed price. The groups will receive a special stone and plastic sheets to remove the seeds from the cones according to food safety standards. The nuts will be pasteurised and shelled in the plant. If the factory is at full capacity, 5,000 villagers will be receiving approximately 800 euro per year from the joint venture, instead of 450 euro from Pakistani traders.

Partenaire (s) : Netherlands Enterprise Agency

Budget Total : €932,396

Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO)