Ukrainian farmers: Thanks to ITC we find new customers and partners in the European market

From 7 to 9 February the international tradeshow of fresh fruits and vegetables Fruit Logistica was held in the Messe Berlin. This time, thanks to the ITC project in Ukraine, the first Ukrainian national stand was presented at the tradeshow.

Seven companies from Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odessa regions presented their products and marketing materials. These are Agropatryot (represented by garlic, including granulated and peeled garlic, and garlic paste), Saperavi (producing fresh and frozen strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, fresh cherries), Agat-Pivden (fresh watermelons and melons), Euroservicegroup (fresh watermelons and melons), Vladam (juices, canned tomatoes and cucumbers), Gorikh Prychornomorya (walnut honey mixes), Rozdolne (frozen fruits, berries, vegetables).

All three days of the tradeshow were full of acquaintance and communication for agrarians. According to the national manager of the ITC project Olena Kolomoytseva, the Ukrainian stand has attracted considerable interest among many guests. Among others, there were such guests as the Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Olga Trofimtseva, representatives of the Embassy of Switzerland in Berlin, project manager of the AgriTrade Ukraine Andre Pilling.

“Many hours of training, serious and hard work that remained behind the scenes. But we managed. Our companies were well prepared and able to represent Ukraine at a large tradeshow. Thank you to participants, ITC consultants Olexiy Yerokhin and Vladyslav Faleyev for close contact with our partners, as well as the UHBDP project for support in organizing the trip to Berlin,” said Olena Kolomoytseva.

According to Olena Kolomoytseva, Ukrainian producers of fruits and vegetables got a lot of contacts and preliminary agreements on contracts with representatives of different countries: Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Qatar, United Arab Emirates.

Of particular interest to the guests was Ukrainian garlic, fresh berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries), frozen berries, as well as a unique product at the Fruit Logistica 2018 from the company Gorikh Prychornomorya (TM TFerma) – the nuts and honey mixtures.

“We are working together to create a brand “made in Ukraine”. If we are fruitful and responsible for our product, in the coming years the shelves of European and world trade networks will be filled with high-quality Ukrainian products,” – said the national ITC consultant Vladyslav Faleyev.

“We see that there is demand for our products. I urge all: not to be afraid, go to the world markets. Ukraine has the opportunity to take a worthy place among the producers of vegetables and fruits. Today we are modest, but we have huge potential. It depends on us, whether we can use it,” – believes the head of the company Rozdolne Yuriy Bilichenko.

“I want to thank the ITC and UHBDP representatives for pulling us out of the production routine. We are very pleased with the participation in the tradeshow and the organization of the trip,” said the representative of the company Gorikh Prychornomorya Gennadiy Burlak.  “We saw what European manufacturers are offering. You need to constantly improve, experiment with your products, exhibit it, watch how the market reacts. This time we have reached preliminary agreements on the delivery of our products,” said Gennadiy Burlak.

“The Fruit Logistica tradeshow has made it clear what European markets need today: what product, in what packaging and with what wrap. Thanks to the ITC project, we find new customers and partners in the European market,” said Sergey Senyuk, director of the company Vladam.

The project “Linking Ukrainian SMEs in the Fruits and Vegetables Sector to Global and Domestic Markets and Value Chains” aims to help Ukrainian enterprises from Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa regions to integrate into domestic and global value chains and access new markets, with a focus on the EU. The Project is funded by the Government of Sweden and the International Trade Centre.