Study Precision farming in Ukraine

Focus of the study.

The primary focus of the study is the agri-technologies related to open field crop production: technologies used on the farm during field planning, soil preparation, fertilizing, controlling water levels and plant protection, planting and crop management, and harvesting. Consumer-oriented innovations and technologies related to processing and marketing were not included.

The research is focused on the following questions:

• How is the Ukrainian agricultural sector organized?
• Who are the main players, what are the major challenges they are facing in their operations?
• Who are the initiators of introducing digital technologies among major groups of producers?
• What precision farming techniques are applied by each group of market players and for which purpose. How well are they spread?
• How do suppliers of these technologies reach the farmers?
• What is the government policy and legal aspects regarding precision farming?
• What are the opportunities for cooperation with current projects/ research institutions and research projects active in the field of precision farming in Ukraine?
• What are the opportunities for the Dutch companies at the Ukrainian market and major challenges?

Webinar Precision farming in Ukraine: opportunities for Dutch business

took place on 14 December 2021

The following issues were discussed:

• What is current level of applying precision farming technologies in Ukraine?
• What are the opportunities in precision farming in Ukraine for the Dutch companies?
• Who are the most active users of precision farming technologies in the Ukrainian agriculture? How to reach them? What are their needs?
• What is best strategy to find reliable partners?

On the assignment of the Agricultural counsellor in Ukraine and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB) performed a survey of the precision farming in Ukraine, and outlined opportunities for the Dutch companies on the Ukrainian market. During the webinar, UCAB presented their findings, and two representatives of the Ukrainian agricultural companies shared their experience, needs and advice in the new products.

The program of the webinar:

10:00 – 10:05    Introduction Agricultural counsellor Reinoud Nuijten

10:05 – 10:25    Presentation UCAB: main findings of the survey “Precision farming in Ukraine”

10:25 – 10:32    Business case 1:  Dmytro Zaitsev - Head of Precision Agriculture Department, Continental Farmers       Group - 195 000 ha

10:32 – 10:40    Business case 2: Dmytro Hlushchenko - Director of Private agricultural enterprise "Ukraine" - 7500 ha

10:40 – 11:00    Questions and answers

11.00 - 11.30     Summary and follow up

You can watch the recording of the webinar on our Youtube channel.

According to the Global Innovation Index ranking of innovation performance of 132 countries around the world in 2021, Ukraine ranks #49 in the world and #3 in its income group. Ukraine is a leading exporter of agricultural products and foodstuffs with 2/3 of the agricultural exported to 175 countries. Current challenges and developments that affect activities in the Ukrainian agricultural sector, like recent opening of the land market, approximation to the terms of future agreements on the EU Green Deal, reform of irrigation stimulate implementation of  precise accounting and monitoring of land resources and maintaining soil maps; adaptation of  the technological processes in the agricultural sector to the temperature rise; adjust production practices to increasing water scarcity, soil degradation, and increasing lack of workforce.

Suppliers of technologies that can tackle these issues and problems by introduction of innovative technologies can directly approach various categories of agricultural producers in Ukraine.

Precision farming technologies have already strongly penetrated to the farming practices in Ukraine. Large agriholdings have own innovation departments and small agricultural producers are less advanced. UCAB surveyed application of precision farming technologies among different categories of agricultural producers: small (less than 1000 ha and 1000-3000 ha), middle-sized (3-10 thous.ha), and large agricultural producers (more than 10 000 ha) per region. Use of the following technologies was surveyed: of electronic field maps, heading indicators/ autopilots, GPS monitoring (trackers) and fuel control sensors, satellite maps/NDVI, drones/UAV, weather stations and soil moisture sensors, forecasting programs (pests, diseases), and farm management systems.

51.2% is average percentage of application of precision farming technologies for all categories of surveyed enterprises. Electronic field maps are used by majority of middle and large –sized agricultural companies, 91-95% of their lands are digitized. Heading indicators, autopilots, GPS monitoring (trackers) and fuel control sensors are used by every 3rd small farmer and 85-92% of middle-sized and large companies. Satellite images /NDVI index use is about 16% with the smaller farmers and 71% with the large agriholdings. Only 20-30% of agricultural farmers do mapping of soil compaction. Soil moisture sensors are used by 39% of the farmers. Farmers still focus on meteorological data and meteorological stations, own or provided by servicing companies. Farmers are not used to maintain moisture sensors in the field. 10% of farmers less than 1000 ha use drones, while 86% of large companies use them. Programs for forecasting the appearance of pests and diseases are the least spread.

Ukrainian agricultural producers are open for new solutions with responsive customer support, although not all of them are always ready to describe what exactly they need. Regional field days, and exhibitions and for a like recent AgroIT  exhibition cooperation with private educational projects, and thematic catalogues will help Dutch companies become more visible on the Ukrainian market.