Ukraine has quietly started building another niche in horticulture — industrial almond growing. After several years of trials in different climate zones, scientists and producers concluded: almonds can be grown here on an industrial scale if the right varieties are used.
According to Hennadiy Yudin, president of the Ukrainian Nut Association, the best results were shown by Spanish self-fertile varieties with late flowering — they don’t wake up too early and therefore tolerate spring frosts better, and they start bearing fruit as early as the third year.
How it started
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In 2022, the Association signed a license agreement with Spain’s Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), which owns modern almond genetics.
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These varieties are being tested at the Almond Orchards nursery in Svitlovodsk and in several other regions.
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In November, at the Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences, scientists and growers agreed to create a dedicated research site for Spanish almonds and to expand industrial plantings.
Where almonds will be planted
The pilot expansion is planned for seven regions that combine relatively warm climates and good soils:
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Odesa
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Mykolaiv
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Kherson
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Zaporizhzhia
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Zakarpattia
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Kirovohrad
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Donetsk (in safe territories)
These are mostly southern and southwestern areas — places where peaches, apricots and walnuts are already grown, so almonds fit well into existing horticultural practices.
Why this matters for the state
Ukraine now imports about 3,300 tons of almond kernels a year, paying over $20 million for it. Replacing at least part of that with domestic production means:
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import substitution;
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new jobs in horticulture and processing;
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development of value-added products (roasted almonds, almond flour, oil, confectionery).
As acting director of the Institute of Horticulture of the NAAS Mykola Bublyk put it, this is not just about planting another tree crop — it’s about a new horticultural direction tied to economic recovery.
Why Spanish varieties?
Classical almond varieties bloom too early — one spring frost, and the harvest is gone. The Spanish lines that Ukraine is testing:
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bloom later, so they “skip” the frost window;
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are self-fertile (you don’t need to plant many pollinizers);
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show higher winter hardiness than traditional southern forms.
That combination gives growers a normal commercial yield in our conditions — and not once every 3–4 years “if there’s no frost.”
So, if everything goes according to plan, in a few years Ukrainian farmers will be able to supply not only walnuts and hazelnuts, but also their own almonds — and keep those $20+ million inside the country.
