Oleksandr Nechyporenko, a member of Ukraine's National Academy of Agrarian Sciences, said that higher vegetable prices will encourage farmers to produce more in 2025.
The loss of significant agricultural land due to Russia's full-scale invasion had serious consequences. However, the area under vegetable cultivation expanded in Ukraine's central and western regions during 2023-2024.
As a result, production levels partially recovered due to the relocation of farmers from the south and the adoption of new, region-adapted crop varieties.
"In 2023, vegetable production recovered by 10%, and by another 6% in 2024," Nechyporenko stated.
Efforts are underway to build vegetable storage facilities, compensating for the destruction of facilities with a total capacity of nearly 150,000 tons during the war.
"In 2023, approximately 15 storage facilities with a total capacity of 20,000 tons were constructed. By December 2024, construction began on 22 additional facilities with a combined capacity of around 25,000 tons, primarily for storing onions and root vegetables," Nechyporenko added.
To meet domestic demand, projected at 1.8-2 million tons, Ukraine plans to increase the cultivation area for various crops:
Vegetables (primarily for borscht sets): expansion to 37,000-40,000 hectares.
Warm-weather crops (peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, watermelons, melons): expansion to 25,000-26,500 hectares.
Source: agroportal.ua