Unnecessary vegetables: why Ukrainian products rotting in landfills

Experts explain how you can support local farmers

Dry autumn, of abnormally warm winter and spring without rain… Farmers to quarantine clutching his head, and now quite desperate and unprecedented decline in harvest. Agricultural holdings still somehow survive, but small farms left alone that managed to grow despite weather whims.

Markets where, according to experts, there C up to 80% Ukrainian vegetables, long have been closed. But supermarkets domestic cabbage and radish do not like. They say, do not meet the standards. Farmers first was thrown out on a dump everything raised, but before the may holidays, the nerves passed, and the country swept the protest. In the Kherson region, for example, farmers blocked the route. They say that because of the quarantine they have nowhere to sell vegetables, and crops rotting in warehouses.

Pandemic coronavirus, really radically changed, and sometimes destroyed supply chain. To bring products to the consumer has become much more difficult. And the main point of sales of Ukrainian vegetables since March, is closed.

“If we’re talking about retail chains, they are bought separately from each farmer, a trade network is working with the relevant guaranteed amounts of products of appropriate quality relevant standards. <…> This is happening not only in Ukraine, it is happening in Europe, in the USA, in Britain. In almost all markets is the decline in consumption of fresh vegetables,” explains the ex-Deputy Minister of economic development Inna Meteleva.

It is not enough that the vegetables have no place to sell, so they also dropped the demand, and producing less steel.

“There is a surplus that is associated with the fact that closed restaurants, pubs, who also took the vegetables to the work,” says Meteleva.

At the same time in specialized Ministry, calmly react to the situation.

“This problem has always existed and will exist for a long time as long as the market will be the most effective place of sale. That is, it is not a question of problems of a public nature, which is associated with a pandemic, it is a question of relations between producers and networks,” – says Deputy Minister of economy, trade representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka.

It is on the unification of efforts between agricultural producers and retail outlets focus and in the expert community. The experience of European countries shows that coronavirus pandemic is almost completely transferred the trade in online, but because farmers need to unite to solve problems – to build or configure sorting stations, packing, certification and communication with retail chains, experts say.

But Ukrainian farmers easier to test than to find alternative markets. In the week under the Cabinet’s farmers demanded more rapid opening of markets. And seem to have achieved. From the first of may in many cities of Ukraine are subject to sanitary-epidemiological conditions has opened many familiar markets.

“Probably, in fact, opened markets, prices will slightly go up. Because this time of increasing points of sale took place, and some of the logistics of communication are restored,” – said the columnist of agrarian market Larisa Guk.

“Markets opened, but they need to get. And the question is, does it make sense when one is near home store, somehow, to take a taxi or other transport and try to get to the market” – adds Inna Meteleva.

However, the journalists of “Today” in Chernigov researched the range on the market and the supermarket. And, as it turned out, the market more imported vegetables, and in store you can find and domestic. That is, it would wish, and to bring Ukrainian products to the supermarket is still possible.

Yes, and even supporting the local farmer is also possible. For example, the same China where began a worldwide epidemic, and actively supported local farmers.

“The farmers in China also there is a problem with sales. And the state, public figures, stars, they began to exit in a public plane and talk about what you need to buy from the national farmer. Only during the first week in 40% increased sales of agricultural products online,” says Meteleva.

What can we expect next? Snowless winter, forecast of drought and the global epidemic of coronavirus? Will that have?

All the predictions in the crops say that the kind of crisis for Ukraine. We are unlikely to reach record levels, such as they were in past years on the crops, but still the forecast is based on the figure above the average for the last five years”, – the Minister said Kachka.

Recall, according to analysts ‘ estimates, the production of crop products will decrease by 5.1%, and grain by 10%.

Comments

comments