Serhii Kuzmenko, production director of SBU Organic (Ukrolia LLC), commented on this matter during the forum Transition to organic production: benefits for Ukrainian food and agricultural enterprises.
"We strive to find alternative ways to sell products in case there is another crisis related to the coronavirus and the closure of borders — a cause of an immediate global failure in container traffic. After all, we are in the Black Sea, and this is not a very convenient port in such a scenario," the expert commented.
Oleh Naumenko, founder and CEO of an organic blueberry farm BigBlue TM, adds that Yahidky Agricultural Complex ceased to export this year due to logistical problems and worked exclusively on the domestic market.
"Berries have a very limited shelf life — up to 14 days. Therefore every day of downtime at the border turns into a loss for us. This year we worked solely on the Ukrainian market since it is easier to communicate with the final customer, build the brand and have all the processes under control,” Naumenko emphasized.
Since 2001 Ukroliya has been producing traditional sunflower oil and exporting it to more than 50 countries worldwide. The company holds approximately 12% of the Ukrainian market for packaged sunflower oil and participates in the Centre for consumer ecological safety all-Ukrainian project In harmony with nature, whose main purpose is to stimulate and support organizations that include environmental priorities in their development strategy and promote the improvement of the quality and competitiveness of domestic products.
