2023-2024 - Stiyka Ukraina - horticulture

Стійка Україна – це програма розбудови приватного сектору та підготовки проекту державно-приватного партнерства в галузі плодоовочівництва, що реалізується за підтримки Уряду Королівства Нідерландів в Україні.

Stiyka Ukraina – is a program for Private Sector Development in Ukraine as well as the preparation of the Public-Private Partnership in horticultural sector that is being implemented in Ukraine with support of the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Stiyka Ukraina project

Active months: from 15 July 2023 to 31 January 2024.

Capacity building horticulture Ukraine | Project Database CMS (rvo.nl)

Summary of the project:

Project results:

The website of Stiyka Ukraina has been created in English and Ukrainian, providing information about the project, reports (including video recordings of all webinars), activities/events of Stiyka Ukraina, and contact details of all members. The Newsletter page for Dutch partners has regular news updates regarding the Horticultural sector in Ukraine (over 80 publications in 6 months).

Social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) have been created to update the sector with the project's activities. A Telegram channel of Stiyka Ukraina has been created based on the contacts database, serving as the most efficient way to reach the Horticultural Ukrainian target group.

These platforms are used for communication with the network on areas of interest and questions. Based on the and feedbacks from the network the topics for the webinars and field seminars have been selected. F.e. on soil, crop nutrition, regenerative horticulture, new technologies and hook up to international trends and value chains.

During active months of the project Stiyka Ukraina have been presented at 3 horticultural conferences (in Vinnytsia, Mukachevo, and Rivne), 4 articles have been published in horticultural magazines, and 7 webinars for the horticultural sector (with the involvement of Dutch companies) have been organized.

Constraints and Opportunities Identified:

Based on six months of pre-PPS activity of the project the following developments of horticultural sector have been identified:

- Significant demand for knowledge, particularly in specific agricultural areas like growing techniques, crop nutrition, upgrading on soil, regenerative horticulture, especially for particular crops. This provides opportunities for the Dutch Extension Services.

- Interest in technology of indoor and outdoor berry and vegetable growing, fertilization, and crop protection of specific crops, organic cultivation.

- Demand for planting materials. Due to the war, Ukrainian certified strawberry nurseries were not operating, making foreign sources the only option for certified planting material. These activities are expected to be scaled up in 2024.

- There is an opportunity for Dutch nurseries to start their own strawberry plant production in Ukraine (with a reliable Ukrainian partner, for example) and feed the local market with quality plants at fair price.

- Ukraine faces a shortage of post-harvest and storage facilities, as acknowledged at the governmental level. Financing is a constraint, partly addressed by Ukrainian government grants and grants from international institutions.

- A lack of trained staff, due to mobilization, poses problems and limits the growth of the horticultural sector in general, and berry production, in particular, as it is labor-intensive.

- In 2023, the border blockade significantly impacted the sector. The export of blueberries from Ukraine to Europe continued with a delay of 5 days. It is expected that the problem will be soon resolved.

Jointly the companies offer:

quality planting materials for horti sector knowledge transfer during webinars and practical trainings at our demo field. Business development for starters: small farmers, women entrepreneurs, veterans and cooperatives.

The project is focused on:

Introduction to the best practices of sustainable horticulture and EU regulations in Ukraine.
Assisting local knowledge centers in problem solving and cooperation with the Dutch counterparts.
Support of Ukrainian horicltural sector in building up business relations with the Dutch counterparts, and bring new international trends, knowledge, technologies and planting materials to Ukraine.
Pointing out the current needs, developments, possibilities in horti business in Ukraine and presenting them to the Dutch counterparts like knowledge institution, IFIs, sector organization etc.

Stiyka Ukraina project

Background

Ukraine is fighting against Russian aggressorn and Ukrainian economy must go on. Agriculture is a crucial sector of Ukrainian economy and horticulture is a sector that experience now the biggest challenges due to the hostilities in the South, heavily mined fields, blown of Kakhovka dam and ruination of irrigation system in the Southern regions of Ukraine. Horticultural production is moving to the safer regions – to the West, North and Centre of Ukraine. Many new players come to horticultural business, looking for knowledge, technologies, investments and markets.

Tasks

- Explore business and investment opportunities for the Dutch companies in Ukraine and matching them with the Ukrainian sector.

Assess and communicate with the running projects and programs in horticultural sector of international donors and other partner organizations in order to coordinate Dutch priorities.

Position NL as a strong partner for Ukraine in horti sector and reconstruction.

Lobby the joint interests of consortium members and well as assist them in solving their individual issues.