Melon chips from Ter Önum: Diversification of business

Members of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan, Ter Önum business entity is ready to launch melon chips production line.

This idea has come about three years ago and has gone multi-tiered way until implementation. But let’s speak in turn. The business entity is the largest in the country marketing entity providing the capital region with grocery, fruits and vegetables as well as take leading positions in the sphere of export supply of local fruits, vegetables and dried fruits.

Flexible response to seasonal demands, market situation and clients’ preference allow providing efficient operation of preparation – storage – sale link and supporting optimum ration of cost, volume and income.

Ter Önum is a permanent participants of international profile reviews held in different countries of the world. Gold medal of International Exhibition of Seasonal Agricultural Exporters in Mumbai (India) is a special pride of the company. Exhibition hall of the company is traditionally full with fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, cucurbitaceous crops including various species of melon.

Co-founder of the company Dovletgeldy Balliyev highlights that Turkmen melon, which rightly deserved the title of tender and refine fruit and is a treasury of nutritious and healing substances, is always among the favorites of international exhibitions.

In addition to export of fresh melon, which is provided by the fact of seasonal production, the entrepreneurs were planning to arrange the supply of dried melon to foreign countries. This is traditional Central Asian desert, which is produced in the process of drying of melon’s slices under air and sun.

Since national technology does not meet European standards, potential consumes expressed number of wishes for improvement of production of melon desert.

Big work has been done, melon species with reduced sugar content have been tested. In the result, experimental species received by cross-breeding with pumpkin, in which our specialists were supported by their colleagues from Holland, has been selected. Further, various methods of drying have been tested in order to eliminate sticky structure typical for authentic product.

Other interesting ideas for new directions of agricultural production export have come in the process of integrated scientific and resource consuming work. Production of chips, light, crunchy and convenient to eat, is one of the directions. Technical base has been under formation together with development of production technology. Production line with profile equipment has been bought from Turkey and prepared to be launched.

The future plans include production of melon milk from the seeds of the fruit, which remain after chips production. Melon milk is a popular product among supporters of healthy food, which is also used a base for smoothies and cocktails. Turkmen melon milk will be an organic product without any preservative and artificial colours. The company will also cultivate small species of melon designated for export to European countries.

The company exports national agricultural production to Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates. After the launch of new production, the geography of export will be expanded by Germany, Austria and France.

Partnership has been established with more than 300 farms and private agricultural producers for procurement of fruits and vegetables. The export production is stored in special cold storages provided with equipment from Holland. The product is sorted, calibrated, packed and shipped to the customer. 11 refrigerating trucks transport the production. By the way, Ter Önum is the first company in Turkmenistan that started work with clients by online orders.

High quality requirements for production provide high demand, competitive advantages and wide client base. National air carrier, hotels, big supermarket networks, restaurants of the capital and other are among the clients of Ter Önum.

In addition to export acceleration and marketing logistics, Ter Önumis actively works on provision of local market including supply of exotic fruits to the country. The company take order for tasty bouquets made of strawberry as well as gift sets of berries glazed with white and dark chocolate. Nicely decorated strawberry sets under TUDANA log presented in shopping network of the capital, are on high demand of customers. The berry farm of the company is located in Anau. At the moment, annual production volume is 65 tons but it is planned to expand the production.

Top management of the company pays special attention to the sphere of agrarian innovations, for which close partnership with foreign breeders and agricultural producers is established. Free trainings are held for Turkmen agrarians each Friday, which is called a day of science in Ter Önum. Profile specialists provide consultation in organization of hothouse farming, cultivation technique as well as pest control and plant diseases.

In addition, personnel of the company standardize agricultural production, control its ecological safety, participate in selection and seed production work, which is aimed at improvement of production of potato, tomato and other vegetables.