Product processing - value added Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Department of Fruit Production, Viticulture and Enology. Current Department of Fruit Production, Viticulture and Enology began since 1952, when the horticultural subject were taught in the Department of Plant Production. The University have students and Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering has 1000 students. Botanical garden of Department has 6 ha with 2÷3 ha with tree fruits for training and research activities. The main species of orchards apples, apricots, cherries and plum. Department involved in the many EU and national project in collaboration with farmers having the subject Integrated Fruit Production (IFP) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) such as: Bioplant Ostratice, Danubius Fruct Dunajska Luzna, PD Tvrdosovce and other farms. After 1989 former state owned enterprises have been transformed to private ones. Total aereage of orchards in Slovakia was 8926 ha in Total fruit production in intensive orchards reached about tones. Of the total fruit production the share of: apple 52%, peaches 9,5%, plums 8,4%, currants 9,4%. Fruit import: tons (mostly subtropical zone fruits, especially mandarins, oranges and grapefruits, also apples) and fruit export: tones (48% to Czech Republic, 85% apples).

Product processing - value added The majority of fruit orchards planted after 1989 are highly intensive (about 6500 ha), up to 90% of apples, pears and big share of peach trees, sweet cherries, plums and apricots are formed as slender spindle and irrigated with drip irrigation. Soil management system: the soil between rows covered with grass regularity mowed, strips under trees treated with herbicides. The pest and disease control is made: with use o signaling and forecast and also ecological orchards grown without use of pesticides. Support mechanism conditions: amount of approved supply for farms using integrated fruit growing principles is 551,82 –EUR/ha. As scientific research in Slovakia was in frame of project APVV 0151/06 implemented an amount of 14 automatic meteorological stations Davis Vantage Pro II with the aim to prove the efficiency of protective measures against pests and diseases. With this stations and software programs can the producer very effectively reduce the number of treatments against the most, but also less important pests and diseases. Our remarks and also engineering point of view are: The important points to be used in the future in Slovakia should be: the old orchards dispose; is important to plant new ones of local varieties; the losses will be compensate by higher yields, sales and lower costs in the future and also because this varieties are tolerant and resistant of damages organism; the best way to make money are revenues from sales.

Product processing - value added Distillery in Jelsovce: fruit processing, archive cellar, testing and agrotourism. It’s a family business started in 1870 with a watermill on Nitra river. In 1920 become a power station that spread the electricity for all villages from area without taxes. In 1948 they lost everything because of the communist regime. In 2007 the family recover the buildings very damaged and invest in new building and focus on a new business: distillery of fruits. They started with a 150 l tank for distillery the fruits buy with EU funds and then with another EU-project buy two tanks: 300 l and 600 l. Also with EU funds grow up their business and made an restaurants and a guess-house with 12 rooms. In this moments they win another EU-project for building a cake factory. They are distilled till now 22 types of fruits with an average of 100 kg fruits for 8 l distillated and they wont to obtain only 52% alcohol in their bottles. In averages have bottles per year. They buy fruits for their distillery from: Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and France and in the partners orchards send peoples to verified the quality of fruits witch has to be overripe but not fall down from the tree, with a 16 brix of sugar minim. They export the production in Czech Republic and Austria, but also for own market in Slovakia. The distillery is also used by local farmers with orchards who wants to do their own distillated products.

Product processing - value added At the distillery they used to share all their experience and tell a history of the place, have meetings, organizing testing of his traditional distillated product. At the distillery are hired 35 persons on the local area that have a very good relations with the owner. For the restaurant they buy local products which mean that they help the development of the zone. Has organized a garden where parents and children came from town to spent a few hours in an fresh air and in company of a clean environment. As an observation they don’t succeed yet to open all the space of the place to be visit able, but the owner told as that will be a near future event.

Product processing - value added Teahouse in Nitra: “Tea ritual”, every tea has its own special story. TEA House is a small business family. In auxiliary have a Bonsai Slovakia shop and both under the same family name produced: mixed tea, chocolate with tea leaf and sell finite products based o tea leaf, bonsai tree and different objects for tea taste and bonsai growing.

Product processing - value added In business they don’t have need the EU – funds and do not have need in the future of such as finance. Have 7 employees in bar and shop. They buy inputs from India, China, Nepal, Japan and export finite product to Czech Republic and in their own shop. In manufacturing the macha chocolate collaborated with a local factory. Also have presentations of making and serving tea in different type of culture such Chines or Japanese and organized courses for bonsai and tea preparation and serving.

Product processing - value added In pocketing used a local brand. Our remarks are: It is good that owner have many and variable products in the center of the city of Nitra, but the brand visited don’t have a open space outside for the hot summer days. They don’t have yet an accreditation for selling bio products. To create some other jobs for young they should to open a hand-made atelier that the visitors can see how it’s made the products in the shop area.

Product processing - value added Be prepared to an unforgettable experience in The Danube's Delta! Romanian Team