"All-Ukrainian Potato Day" will take place on August 26-27, 2021 with a special conference and exposition on irrigation.

"All-Ukrainian Potato Day" with an unexpected subtitle "Potato Blockchain" will take place on August 26-27, 2021 in the village Chulakivka, Kherson region. This is the only specialized event in Ukraine for potato growers, organised in close cooperation between the Ukrainian Association of Potato Growers and DLG Ukraine. Despite the obstacles created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the event's successful debut took place in 2020 and gathered more than 600 participants.

This year, the Potato Blockchain is moving to the South of Ukraine and expanding to two days. "All-Ukrainian Potato Day" is warmly received by an experienced potato producer - Farm "Adelaida", which cultivates about 3 thousand hectares of irrigated land in the Kherson region and 5.5 thousand hectares in the Zhytomyr region.

With research plots with more than 60 varieties of potatoes from leading international and national breeders and innovative cultivation schemes, static exposition and demonstration of equipment "All-Ukrainian Potato Day" offers an effective business platform for farmers, suppliers, as well as wholesale buyers and food processors.

Yulia Bondarenko, Director of DLG Ukraine LLC

A special feature of this year is a special conference and exposition on irrigation on the second day. The seminar-panel on concluding contracts for the autumn-winter-spring period between producers, processing enterprises and representatives of trade networks of Ukraine also deserves special attention. Together with more than 60 exhibitors, we expect 700 professional visitors from all over Ukraine.

Harvesting more than 20.2 million tons of potatoes from 1.4 million hectares, Ukraine is among the top 5 largest potato producers in the world. However, professional farmers grow only 1.8% of the total gross shaft of potatoes grown in Ukraine, for which 67 thousand hectares are allocated. The rest of the potatoes - 98.2% - are grown by households (2020). The average yield in professional farms specialising in potato growing in 2020 was 36 t / ha, in households - 14.7 t / ha, a year earlier these figures were 42 t / ha and 17.6 t / ha. Falling yields are due to a drought that has plagued Ukraine for several seasons in a row.

By improving production processes and technologies, Ukraine can increase its yields to meet domestic demand for high-quality potatoes, especially processed and processed products, and eventually start exporting to foreign markets.

Thanks to a special state program to support the development of industrial potatoes for 2021-2025, Ukrainian producers will be able to receive government subsidies for the purchase of certified multiplied seeds in Ukraine, including foreign breeding, irrigation, purchase of equipment for pre-sale preparation of potatoes. The state will also subsidize the construction of potato storages. This creates new opportunities for business, producers and the state.

Oksana Ruzhenkova, Managing Director of the Ukrainian Association of Potato Growers

The Ukrainian Association of Potato Growers was founded in 2010 and unites more than 50 companies engaged in the industrial cultivation of potatoes or otherwise related to the potato market. The purpose of the Association is to increase the economic efficiency and competitiveness of its members in the field of industrial potato production by lobbying the interests of the industry at the national level, exchange of experience, knowledge, information and coordination of economic activities.