The minister for agriculture, food and the marine of Ireland Charlie McConalogue announced a humanitarian donation for Ukrainians who live in occupied and front-line regions and do not have the opportunity to feed themselves. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations will receive €450.0000 from Ireland, which will be used to purchase planting potatoes for 10.000 households at the rate of 50 kg per person. The yield potential is expected at the level of 7.000 tons of potatoes, which on average can feed 45-50.000 people during the year.
"This project supports efforts to restore Ukraine's agricultural potential and will help rural families resume potato production for their own household consumption," Charlie McConalogue added.
It is noteworthy that before the war, Ukraine was one of the world's 5 most potent potato producers. However, the planting vegetable was not grown in Ukraine, but in France and the Netherlands for the Irish company IPM Potato Ltd. The lion's share of potatoes grown in Ukraine came from small farms. With the beginning of the war, the import of planting material from Ireland was destroyed, and most agricultural farms were destroyed.
Please note that Ireland's initiative is not aimed at restoring the export of Ukrainian potatoes, but at supporting those who, because of the war, cannot even feed their families.
