News
08.02.2013
At low prices for “vegetables for borsch” one should diversify production – expert
Ukrainian producers are focusing on growing traditional "vegetables for borsch": white cabbage, carrots, table beets, onions and a few more others. This led to overproduction and reduced profitability. The solution for farmers under such circumstances may be a switch to alternative vegetable crops.
Professor of National University of Life and Environmental Sciences Zinovyi Sych (PhD in Agriculture) believes that competition in the vegetable market particularly affects SME’s. In this situation, one needs to diversify the list of produced vegetables. Also there are a lot of examples of application of the suggested strategy.
"We are talking about new varieties of tomato, sweet pepper, carrots, root and petiolate celery, okra, arugula, rhubarb and others. The successful expansion of salad production in Ukraine may serve as the brightest example of the abovementioned idea. - emphasizes the expert. – The initiative of niche product growing belongs "Rijk Zwaan Ukraine" Ltd." The expert claims that Ukrainian consumers are willing to try some new vegetable crops. For example, the cooperation of LLC "Rijk Zwaan Ukraine" Ltd. with a network of supermarkets «Fozzy Group» resulted in increase in salad consumption in Ukraine from 200 kg (2010) to 3.5 tons (in 2012).
In turn, director of «AgriSurvey» agency Taras Gagalyuk adds that most vegetables that are imported to Ukraine can be grown on the Ukrainian land.
"Top-10 imported vegetables are zucchini, parsley, dill, lettuce. Thus, parsley and dill are imported to amount of about 3 million USD, lettuce - 2.8 million USD, zucchini - $ 1.7 million USD, although domestic producers can grow these crops in Ukraine. Sweet pepper also appears to be a promising crop – the volume of imports amounts to 15.5 million USD – it’s on the 2nd place after tomatoes within the structure of the imported vegetables," - the expert says.
Ukrainian farms are technologically ready to implement the new production strategy. Besides growing technologies, other important aspects are all other production chains: post-harvest processing, storage, logistics and marketing.
"With respect to the output of new products, the development of advertising and marketing strategies plays an important role - Mr. Sych says.
More information about the prospects of niche vegetables growing can be found on Feb. 21, 2013 during the IV International Conference "Commercial Horticulture in Ukraine 2013."
Association "Ukrainian Agribusiness Club"
Velyka Zhytomyrska str., 20 А, office 53, Kyiv, 01001
Phone: +380 44 201-4950
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Tetiana Kotyk
www.agribusiness.kiev.ua
The Association "Ukrainian Agribusiness Club" (UCAB) www.agribusiness.kiev.ua was founded in 2007 to protect the economic and professional interests of players of agribusiness in Ukraine. UCAB is a unique platform in Ukraine for establishing business contacts between the leaders of agribusiness, improvement their work and dialogue with the government. UCAB actively supports Ukrainian producers in establishing and maintaining international business relations. The Association consists of the largest producers and processors of agricultural products in Ukraine.
