Kyrgyzstan is developing a national brand, Natural Kyrgyz Walnut, to promote its walnuts in international markets. The brand will emphasize the origin of the product in the walnut-fruit forests of southern Kyrgyzstan, with labeling and a traceability system planned to verify its provenance. The marketing plan was developed with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and presented on September 17.
Kyrgyzstan harvests more than 44,000 tons of walnuts annually. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, walnut collection and sales provide income for nearly 60,000 people, primarily in the country’s southern regions.
One of the best-known areas is Arslanbob in the Jalal-Abad region, home to ancient walnut-fruit forests. Arslanbob is also associated with a longstanding local legend that soldiers of Alexander the Great took walnuts from the area back to the West. The story is popular in Kyrgyzstan, although there is no historical evidence to confirm it.
The FAO describes the walnut-fruit forests of southern Kyrgyzstan as among the world’s most valuable natural ecosystems. Their condition, however, is deteriorating: natural regeneration is declining, while grazing pressure, pests and diseases, land degradation, and climate change are placing additional strain on the forests.
Kyrgyz walnuts are already exported to Russia, China, and European Union countries. The brand is intended to help producers distinguish Kyrgyz walnuts in export markets by emphasizing their geographical origin.
The next steps will include biochemical analysis of the walnuts and an assessment of opportunities for organic certification, geographical indication registration, and the application of fair-trade standards. A geographical indication would legally establish the link between the product and a particular territory and protect its name.
The branding effort comes alongside attempts to improve market access in China. The Times of Central Asia reported on September 18 that Kyrgyzstan and China had begun discussing the mutual recognition of organic certificates. Kyrgyz certification is currently insufficient for products to be marketed as organic in China, meaning the two sides will need to compare their standards and agree on technical requirements.
