Rebuilding
Potato Ukraine
Contributing to food security
Sustainable economic development
Climate smart potato demo centre
Rebuilding potato Ukraine
Before the war, Ukraine was the third-largest potato producer globally. However, the conflict has severely impacted the potato market in Ukraine, leading to increased production costs, unavailability of seed potatoes, decreased output, declining market demand, lower sales prices, and additional pressure from climate change.
Our project "Rebuilding Potato Ukraine" is funded by the Ukraine Partnership Facility (UPF), a program from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency commissioned by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs. UPF supports damage repair and reconstruction projects for the public and private sectors. UPF aims to help the sustainable recovery of Ukraine's economy and society in the water, healthcare and agricultural sectors.
Climate smart potato demo centre
The project will establish a Ukraine-Netherlands climate-smart potato demonstration centre, which will reverse the negative trends in the potato value chain. It will contribute to food security and it will be the foundation for sustainable economic development.
The centre will focus on potato production and education to Ukrainian farmers. Investments will be made in drip infrastructure, a cold store, and equipment. The educational component will cover various aspects such as cultivation practices, equipment handling, cold store management, regenerative farming, and business cases. Around 3,000 farmers, including over 60% women, will be educated both physically at the demonstration centre and remotely through digital means.
The climate smart potato demo centre will enable Ukrainian – small and medium sized - farmers to grow table potatoes for the local Ukrainian market. In total they will produce 53 million kgs of potatoes a year. This is what we mean by ‘contribution to food security’.
Partners
The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and RVO support the project financially. Agrico NL is responsible for project management and reporting. APH Group from the Netherlands (‘APH’) - one of the largest global distributors of equipment and installations in the grain, potato and vegetable business - is responsible for training the Agrico UA trainers and for the supply and after sales of various equipment. Agrico Ukraine – Ukraine’s seed potato market leader and representing Agrico NL for almost 20 years - is responsible for establishing the demonstration centre, assuring its operations and educating Ukrainian farmers.
We are very grateful for this initiative of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This project gives us future perspective and hope
Sustainable Development Goals
The project aligns with Ukrainian and Dutch policy goals and contributes to at least seven Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including zero hunger, sustainable economic growth, and climate action.
The primary risk identified is disruptions due to the ongoing war, with plans in place to manage disruptions. Flexibility in operations and a pragmatic approach to manage risks associated with the war are key principles.
Overall, the project focuses on immediate food security needs while laying the groundwork for sustainable growth in the future.
News items
Weather conditions are one of the main factors affecting the yield of potatoes. This year was a challenging year in Ukraine. “Therefore, farmers were forced to invest more in technology and high-quality varieties, as well as be more careful about the use of plant protection products, to ensure the proper quality of potatoes”, says Nick Gordiichuk, Director of Agrico Ukraine.
A delegation from the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN) visited Ukraine in the end of September. The representatives also visited Agrico Ukraine, where they were given an explanation about the project ‘Rebuilding Potato Ukraine’, an initiative of Agrico and the APH Group.
The Agrico variety Picasso was voted as best (highest yielding) potato variety during Potato Ukraine 2024. Picasso gave high yields despite difficult weather conditions during the growing season. Other Agrico-varieties also scored high marks. Among top 5 varieties, 3 Agrico varieties: Picasso, Ranomi, Spectra.
Arizona is one of the fastest growing varieties within the portfolio of Agrico. In Ukraine, Arizona is the No. 1 potato variety. Seed potato grower Jaap de Zeeuw visited buyer Nick Gordiichuk in mid-March in Ukraine. They talk about their special friendship, what it is like to growing potatoes in Ukraine and why the Arizona variety is so popular in Ukraine.
Supplying modern potato farming equipment to Agrico Ukraine is one important part of our 'Rebuilding Potato Ukraine' project. On Good Friday, APH shipped the first machines from Heerenveen in the Netherlands to Ukraine.
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