Modern pine nut processing facility in Afghanistan

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 from Pakistani traders.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

The principles concern the relevant aspects: environment, gender, child labour and labour policies. It is recommended to have SMART principles concerning labour policies and workplace safety. Also, food safety certification based on HACCP is of key importance.

PSI-Asia
Quality EducationDecent Work and Economic Growth

Project number

NL-KVK-27378529-PSIP12AF03

Total budget

€ 932,396

Countries

Afghanistan

Project status

Finalised

Budget spent

100.00 %
100.00 % spent

Tied status

Untied
Startdate:
Enddate:

Project partners

Netherlands Enterprise Agency

Sectors

Industrial crops/export crops
Transactions
TypeProviderProvider ref.ReceiverReceiver ref.Value (€)DateValue date
Incoming Funds 78,679.00 21-06-2012 21-06-2012
Incoming Funds 899,190.00 21-06-2012 21-06-2012
Incoming Funds -45,472.72 26-01-2021 26-01-2021
Outgoing Commitment 78,679.00 21-06-2012 21-06-2012
Outgoing Commitment 899,190.00 21-06-2012 21-06-2012
Outgoing Commitment -45,472.72 26-01-2021 26-01-2021
Disbursement 314,715.00 16-02-2015 16-02-2015
Disbursement 44,960.00 09-03-2015 09-03-2015
Disbursement 44,960.00 09-06-2015 09-06-2015
Disbursement 44,960.00 04-09-2015 04-09-2015
Disbursement 119,892.00 03-12-2015 03-12-2015
Disbursement 119,892.00 03-03-2016 03-03-2016
Disbursement 119,892.00 03-06-2016 03-06-2016
Disbursement 123,125.28 27-01-2021 27-01-2021