Kazakhstan Expands Efforts to Revive Iconic Aport Apple

Kazakhstan is embarking on a significant initiative to restore the famed "aport" apple, a cultivar once celebrated globally for its unique taste and size, but which has fallen into decline. The national Aport Revival Program, spanning from 2024 to 2028, is a concerted effort to bring this historic variety back to commercial prominence.

Scientists and the Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture are working to expand orchards and establish specialized nurseries. This aims to produce high-quality planting material and saplings for growers nationwide. The aport apple presents unique cultivation challenges, thriving only at specific high altitudes and maturing slowly, typically after eight to nine years. Despite these hurdles, its distinctive flavor and historical significance make it highly valued within Kazakhstan.

The program's first stage involved collecting seeds from wild sievers apples, considered the ancestor of many cultivated apples, and developing national cultivation standards. "Creating nurseries will allow us to propagate the saplings and distribute them to our orchardists. This is how we can restore the former glory of the aport apple, which was once recognized worldwide," said Bakytzhan Duisembekov, chairman of the board of the Zhiembayev Kazakh Research Institute of Horticulture. The institute has already established a 10-hectare nursery, with two-year-old saplings expected to be ready for commercial orchards next year. The broader revival effort has secured over $5 million in funding, with approximately $1 million specifically allocated to restoring the aport variety.

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Creating nurseries will allow us to propagate the saplings and distribute them to our orchardists. This is how we can restore the former glory of the aport apple, which was once recognized worldwide.