First Irrigation Show & Conference takes place within the expanded two-day potato event
The “Ukrainian Potato Day”, with the main theme “Potato Blockchain”, will take place as planned on 26-27 August 2021 in Chulakivka, Kherson Region, located in southern Ukraine. The only specialized event for potato production in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Potato Day event is organized in close cooperation between the Ukrainian Association of Potato Producers and DLG’s subsidiary, DLG Ukraine LLC.
The second edition of the Ukrainian Potato Day is moving location to the South of Ukraine and, with the addition of the new “Irrigation Show & Conference”, the event has been expanded and now runs over two days, instead of one. The new irrigation event organized with the Ukrainian Association of Potato Producers, which focuses on irrigation methods for growers, was introduced to meet demand for knowledge on irrigation in the wake of recent droughts. The Ukrainian Potato Day, an outdoor event, was successfully launched in 2020, overcoming challenges posed by the pandemic, and attracted some 600 visitors.
Hosted this year by large-scale potato farm FG Adelaida with competence in cultivating potatoes and other crops on 3,000 irrigated hectares in the Kherson Region, the farm also cultivates 8,000 hectares in the Zhytomyr region. The Ukrainian Potato Day is set to become an important venue for Ukraine’s skilled potato experts.
“Featuring trial fields and an exhibition area covering 20 hectares with over 60 potato varieties from leading breeders, national and international, as well as innovative growing schemes, and live machinery demonstrations, the Ukrainian Potato Day will this year be offering an excellent business platform for farmers, input suppliers as well as wholesale buyers and food processors,” explains Yuliya Bondarenko, Managing Director of DLG Ukraine LLC.
“The special feature of the event is a high-level irrigation conference and expo-show on the second day. A special seminar panel with buyers from processing companies and retails chains has been set up and will be a new highlight for potato growers. Altogether, with over 60 exhibitors, we anticipate 700 trade visitors from all over Ukraine,” adds Bondarenko.
This year’s main theme “Potato Blockchain” was selected to reflect the current focus in potato cultivation in Ukraine, not only on traceability and quality but also on weather forecasts and parameters, key topics in Ukraine. The “blockchain” theme offer entertainment value too, with all visitors taking part in a business game where they earn coupons at exhibitor stands, which can be spent on gifts afterwards.
With over 1.4 million hectares of arable land dedicated to potato cultivation and 20.2 million tons harvested, Ukraine belongs to the top five potato producers in the world. However, only 1.8% of the total production output is harvested by large-scale farms on 67,000 hectares. The rest is grown by private households or smallholdings, for private consumption or as direct sales to consumers. The average yield in professional potato farms in 2020 is 36 tons/hectare whereas private households and smallholdings produce 14.7 tons/hectares. In 2019 the figure were 42 tons/hectares and 17.6 tons/hectares respectively. The decreased yields are related to recent drought conditions.
“With improved management and technologies, Ukraine could increase its yields to serve domestic demand for high-quality potatoes, especially for processed products, and eventually develop exports,” says Oksana Ruzhenkova, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Association of Potato Producers.
“Through the special governmental program, potato growing in Ukraine is to receive additional benefits and subsidies for certified seeds, machinery and equipment for irrigation and post-harvest handling and storage in 2021 – 2025. This generates new opportunities for farmers and input suppliers,” adds Ruzhenkova.
For more information on Ukraine Potato Day and potato industry please contact:
Yulia Bonderenko
Email: y.bondarenko@dlg.org
DLG Ukraine LLC is a subsidiary of DLG International, which is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. DLG International is represented by subsidiaries in 12 countries.
