In Ukraine, the average payback period for vegetable farming is approximately five years, provided that the business is initiated on a minimum of 50–60 hectares and relies on drip irrigation. This estimate comes from Vadym Krychkivskyi, head of the "Organic-D" farm in the Vinnytsia region.
However, Krychkivskyi notes that this timeline assumes the project is done professionally and with expert guidance. The calculation also excludes the costs and payback period of vegetable storage infrastructure, which can take much longer to recover.
"Vegetable farming is like warfare," he says, recalling a case where he was asked to consult on an onion project already underway. After reviewing the field, he advised replanting due to early mistakes. The farmer followed his recommendation on part of the land and harvested 75 tonnes per hectare. On the rest, where errors weren't corrected, yields dropped to just 20 tonnes per hectare.
Krychkivskyi adds that similar outcomes can happen with transplanted crops if planting is not done properly. For example, sowing 1 million carrot seedlings might result in yields of 80–100 t/ha if 800,000 take root successfully, but only 40 t/ha if half the plants fail to establish. Proper planning, he concludes, is critical to long-term viability.
Source: agrotimes.ua
