€450,000 in Irish support for potato farming in Ukraine
FAO Ukraine will distribute seed potatoes to 10,000 highly vulnerable small-holder farmers in rural areas at the frontline of the illegal Russian aggression in eastern and southern Ukraine.
The Department of Agriculture will provide funding of €450,000 to a UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) project supporting potato farming in Ukraine.
The project will involve the transport of 500 tonnes of certified seed potatoes to Ukraine.
FAO Ukraine will distribute these seed potatoes (50kg per farmer) to 10,000 highly vulnerable small-holder farmers in rural areas at the frontline of the illegal Russian aggression in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Announcing the support, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said that Ireland and Ukraine share many similarities, particularly the huge importance of agriculture both economically and socially.
The seed potatoes have been grown in the Netherlands and France by growers for the Irish company IPM Potato Ltd.
Noting that the seed potato varieties have been cultivated especially for agroecological conditions in Ukraine, Mr McConalogue added: "In addition to saving 10% of the harvest as seed potatoes for the next season, this volume of quality seed potatoes has the potential to produce up to 7,000 tonnes of ware potatoes.
"This FAO project will support efforts to build back agricultural capacity and to assist rural families to resume production for their own household consumption and, in doing so, to meet their immediate food needs."
Ukraine is among the top five potato producers in the world and the bulk of its production is small-holder farmer based.
Since the outbreak of war, the normal structures of seed potato supply in Ukraine have been broken and the imports of certified seed input stocks have been severely hampered.
