Member of Parliament and member of the Parliamentary Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy Dmytro Solomchuk said that the issue of crop storage could not be resolved by building small vegetable storage facilities.
According to him, the problem intensified in 2022 after the destruction or occupation of major storage facilities, particularly in the Kherson and Kharkiv regions, which previously housed some of the largest facilities capable of storing 15,000-25,000 tons of produce.
Solomchuk noted that, by his calculations, Ukraine required up to 120 large vegetable storage facilities with capacities ranging from 5,000 to 12,000 tons to fully meet domestic demand.
“Earlier, we made calculations based on the consumer basket to determine how many vegetables Ukrainians consume. To reduce dependence on imports, the country needed about 115-120 storage facilities with capacities of roughly 5,000 to 12,000 tons. Today, this figure remains relevant to ensure Ukraine-grown vegetables for the military, schools, kindergartens, and all consumers,” the MP said.
At the same time, Solomchuk added that only two such facilities had been built during the full-scale war. He criticized the idea of focusing on small storage facilities, calling it ineffective.
“Small vegetable storage facilities do not function as a proper storage tool. At best, they serve as refrigerators for short-term sales at local markets over a few days. As a systemic solution for preserving harvests, they are ineffective and will not resolve the overall problem,” Solomchuk emphasized.
He further noted that the lack of storage capacity forced farmers to sell vegetables at low prices, as happened this autumn, while in spring Ukraine would have to import produce from Poland, Turkey, or Spain at higher costs.
“Our farmers grow quality produce, but without storage it is either old at rock-bottom prices or spoils. Then in spring we buy imports priced in euros, with logistics and customs duties added, and later wonder about the high prices in stores,” Solomchuk said.
Separately, he drew attention to staffing challenges in the agricultural sector, noting that on average each farm currently faces a workforce shortage of up to 60% of its staff capacity. Women have partially compensated for this shortage, particularly in the dairy industry and craft production. (Ukrinform)