Currently, 35% of the vegetable harvest does not reach the Ukrainian consumer due to the lack of proper storage conditions. Therefore, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food is working on the creation of a national network of vegetable storage facilities. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, as Dengi.ua .
Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Vitaliy Koval held a meeting with representatives of the public association of food retail leaders (UFRA), where the issue of developing a system of vegetable storages was raised.
According to the Minister, many vegetable storages have been destroyed in Ukraine due to enemy shelling.
"As a result, more than 281 thousand tons of simultaneous storage were lost. Today, 35% of the vegetable harvest does not reach the consumer simply because of the lack of proper storage conditions. The total deficit is more than 1.1 million tons," Koval noted.
He explained that vegetable storage facilities are not just warehouses, they are:
- an opportunity to store crops and sell them at a better price;
- a tool to curb inflation;
- support for local farmers;
- new jobs and taxes for the budget;
- a step towards import substitution and the development of exports of value-added products.
"We are moving towards the model of an agro-industrialized country, where not raw materials but processed products form the economic value. For comparison: 1 hectare of land in Ukraine brings on average 1,000 euros of export revenue, while in Denmark it is 15,000 euros. Our task is to reduce this difference", - the Minister added.
