Today Lviv region received the first humanitarian batch of seed potatoes from France. It is about 95 tons of elite elite potatoes, intended for 20 small farmers in the region. Thus, Lviv region became the first region of Ukraine to send a load of planting potatoes to support the agricultural sector.
Potatoes are intended for planting exclusively in small commercial farms in the region, the area of which is a maximum of 3 hectares.
“This is the first supply of planting potatoes from French producers that Ukraine has received. The cargo will be distributed among the farms of Lviv region, the list of which was prepared and handed over to the French side. We focused on potatoes, as their planting is just beginning in Lviv region. Over the next few weeks, there will also be other supplies of potatoes to other regions. We are just at the beginning of this process. The war in Ukraine has had dire consequences for both the agricultural sector and food security. Ukraine and France are the two largest producers of agricultural products in the world, so it is important that the production process does not stop, “said French Ambassador to Ukraine Etienne de Poncins.
By the way, this delivery was commissioned by the Lviv OBA with the support of the French Embassy in Ukraine, the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine.
“This year in the Lviv region we place special emphasis on supporting those areas in agriculture that require maximum involvement of labor. We are talking about berry growing, horticulture and potato growing. Today’s supply of seed potatoes allows small and medium-sized farmers to improve the quality of their products. In 2 years, this seed material can turn into thousands of hectares of planted potato areas. This is a prerequisite for reaching a new level of management. We must support the people who provide food for our country. On the part of the administration, we have adapted the Agricultural Development Program to the conditions of martial law, and have identified areas that will be primarily funded. Our foreign partners also show their solidarity and support, in particular, we thank the French Government for the humanitarian assistance of our agricultural sector, “said Maksym Kozytskyi, Head of the Lviv Regional State Administration.
The Department of APR conducted a selection on the basis of a proposal promptly submitted by the Regional State Administration. Also formed a list of manufacturers. The Lviv Agrarian Chamber helped to organize the process of shipment of potatoes to farms.
“The total planting area of French seed potatoes will be over 40 hectares. Farms have already prepared the ground to start planting the obtained potatoes. It should be noted that the provided seed material belongs to one of the highest reproductions – the elite. That is, farmers will grow it to get the seeds of the first reproduction in order to increase the area and increase yields in the coming years. They will harvest food potatoes in 2023, and then it will be possible to taste it, “said Tetyana Hetman, Director of the Department of Agro-Industrial Development of LOVA.
Most farmers will plant this variety of potato for the first time. As farmer Mykhailo admitted, this assistance is of great importance both for the population and for our military. After all, all the potatoes grown by farms go to food needs, including the Ukrainian army.
By the way, in terms of production, Lviv region remains in the top three among the regions that provide potatoes to the whole of Ukraine. The developed algorithm of potato deliveries from France will be used by other regions of Ukraine next week.