FAO to provide over 125 tonnes of seed potatoes to farmers in Eastern Ukraine
KYIV. March 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) would supply over 125 tonnes of seed potatoes to rural households residing along the contact line in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.
"This time, more than 125 tonnes of certified and highly productive seed potatoes will be distributed to around 1,250 food-insecure households and small farmers… In addition to the high-quality seeds, the beneficiaries of the FAO project will receive a complete step-by-step guide on good practices for potato cultivation," FAO said in a press release on Wednesday.
This is the second round of FAO's vegetable seed distribution aimed at helping farmers get ready for the planting campaign now under way in eastern Ukraine.
"From our last years' experience, we see that an estimated 100 kilograms of seed potatoes per household allowed our beneficiaries to produce harvests sufficient to meet their family requirements for almost a year," Farrukh Toirov, coordinator of FAO's response programme in Ukraine, said.
"After three years of working in this area, I see that people keep a good balance between using the collected harvests for self-consumption and enriching local markets," Toirov said.
Distribution is taking place in the most challenging and difficult-to-reach locations close to the contact line, such as villages of Zhovanka, Mayorsk and Pisky in Donetsk region, Stary Aidar and Serednioteple in Lugansk region.
In recent months, FAO has supported nearly 30,000 households along the contact line with various types of farming inputs, such as drip irrigation kits, animal feed, rabbits and poultry. The distribution of agricultural machinery to cooperatives will also continue in late spring.
By early May, the FAO team in Ukraine plans to assist another 3,200 households with young animals and poultry.
The help comes as part of FAO's response programme in the conflict zone, currently financed by the Government of Canada and valued at $2.3 million.