Today, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., the Lviv Taste Fair took place near the Palace of Arts, where more than 50 producers from all over Ukraine presented their organic and craft products, as well as local dairy products.
Goods at the fair are for every taste: different types of cheeses, oils, honey, sweets, cereals, teas, meat products, etc. Visitors have the opportunity to try freshly prepared cheese fondue, as well as taste the products presented at the fair.
The organizer of the fair is the Lviv Regional Military Administration together with the Lviv City Public Organization “Ekoterra” and the community of cheese connoisseurs “ProCheese” with the support of Switzerland and under the patronage of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.
The head of the Lviv OVA Maksym Kozytskyi thanked the manufacturers – participants of the fair for continuing to work during the war, creating useful products and providing people with work.
“Thank you very much for today’s holiday – a local local, craft, organic producer. Gratitude for your professional, dedicated and conscientious work, quality and certified products. You make a huge contribution to the food security of our country, support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and IDPs,” Maksym Kozytskyi emphasized.
The fair was organized with the support of Switzerland within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian program “Development of trade with higher added value in the organic and dairy sectors of Ukraine”, which is implemented by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture of Switzerland in partnership with the consulting company SAFOSO AG.
Switzerland has been supporting Ukraine since the 1990s in the areas of urban planning, health care and economic development, said Andreas Huber, director of the Cooperation Program of the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine.
“Creating stable well-being that all Ukrainians can share is one of the goals of this economic support. Also create additional jobs. But for this it is necessary to support business that will create jobs. Therefore, we actively support the agricultural sector, especially the production of dairy and organic products. Switzerland is ready to support this sector of the economy even during the war. Today’s fair is a proof of the stability and strength of Ukrainian manufacturers,” said Andreas Huber.
As the First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Taras Vysotskyi reported, the Ministry, together with deputies of the Verkhovna Rada’s Agrarian Committee, developed legislative initiative No. 8290, which defines simplified requirements for craft handicraft products, in order to create favorable conditions for the development of the production of such products.
“Ukraine has chosen a clear path to join the European Union, where the basis of the economy is first of all small and medium-sized businesses. By joining the EU, Ukraine will develop and support small and medium-sized businesses. The state, from its side, must definitely support such producers,” added Taras Vysotskyi.
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According to the Department of Agro-Industrial Development of Lviv Oblast, 28 operators of the organic products market and 2 organic cooperatives operate in the region. The estimated volume of export of organic products from the Lviv region in 2022 is 14.4 thousand tons (EU countries, Asia, the USA, South Korea), of which 60% are wild gooseberry, freeze-dried berries (rosehip, elderberry, lingonberry), 39% are berries (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, currants), 1% – plant products (wheat, flax, beans).
From year to year, Lviv Oblast is a leader among the regions of Ukraine, which directs the largest financial resource from the local budget to support farmers. In particular, in 2023, UAH 34.4 million from the regional budget and UAH 2.1 million from the community budget will be allocated to support the agricultural sector of the region.