Ukrainian farmers to double construction of vegetable storage facilities in 2024

Ukrainian farmers will double the construction of vegetable storage facilities in 2024 compared to the previous year, Oles Kapitanchuk, director of Tolsma Technik LLC, said in a commentary to Interfax-Ukraine.

"Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, vegetable and potato storage facilities with a capacity of about 150,000 tonnes were destroyed. In 2023, farmers built 15 vegetable storage facilities at their own expense without any help. Colleagues estimated the capacity built last year at 10,000 tonnes, but I think that they were twice as much, because Tolsma Technik alone built 10,000 tonnes. Accordingly, in Ukraine in 2023, about 20,000 tonnes were built, of which 70% for storing onions, and 15% each for carrots and potatoes. As of February of this year, orders have already been received for the construction of more than 25,000 tonnes, which will be intended mainly for storing onions," he said.

The director of Tolsma Technik LLC added that last year the period for concluding contracts fell in April-May. Accordingly, not all companies have yet announced their plans. He predicts that in 2024, storage facilities for storing vegetables and potatoes with a capacity of about 40,000 tonnes can be built in Ukraine.

Absolutely all projects will be built at the expense of the farmers themselves. For many of them, the 2023 season was quite successful due to high prices for vegetables, which are significantly higher than in the pre-war period. In addition, Ukrainian vegetable growing focuses mainly on the domestic market, so farmers had guaranteed sales, their products did not stand in queues at the borders, as happened and still continues with grain crops, oil, dairy and meat products, Kapitanchuk explained.

Location of storage capacities is Central and Western Ukraine. It is to these regions that industrial vegetable growing is shifting.

The director of Tolsma Technik LLC emphasized that the built vegetable storage facilities would not be enough to restore industrial vegetable growing to the pre-war level.

At the same time, he noted an increase in demand for this type of pre-sale processing of vegetables such as washing, peeling and vacuuming, and sometimes blanching. The local demand for processed vegetable products is constantly increasing.

Source: KYIV. Feb 26 Interfax-Ukraine