One of Ukraine's vegetable farms, SFH Eldorado, is strengthening its focus on potato production, particularly seed material. According to farm manager Yuriy Antropov, the company previously supplied large volumes both for its own needs and for chip manufacturers. However, market instability forced the farm to reduce commercial potato areas in recent years.
Today, Eldorado prioritizes high-quality seed potatoes. Imported Dutch varieties remain dominant on the farm, though costly to grow, with production costs ranging between €1,100 and €4,600 per hectare depending on tuber size. At the same time, the farm is testing Ukrainian varieties in cooperation with the Institute of Potato Growing to evaluate their potential.
"We are not aiming for cheaper planting material at any cost," explained Yaroslav Lytvyn, head of Syniavske Group, which partners with Eldorado. "If Ukrainian varieties can match Dutch standards, we are ready to invest €2,000–3,000/ha and achieve seed potatoes capable of producing over 65 tons per hectare of marketable yield. This is realistic."
Eldorado plans to allocate around 30% of its potato fields to Ukrainian varieties, with estimated cultivation costs of €1,000/ha. The strategy aims to balance foreign and local varieties, reducing long-term dependence on imports while maintaining yield and quality.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's overall potato production is on the rise. According to the Ukrainian Potato Growers Association, some farms have doubled their harvests this year despite weather challenges. This could help stabilize prices, though experts warn that potatoes will never return to the "cheap" levels of previous years.
"Consumers may see prices around ₴10/kg (€0.21) in early October, but only at the start of the season," said Andriy Marushchak, commercial director of Van Dijk Technics, a company specializing in vegetable storage and processing.
Source: www.seeds.org.ua / agroportal.ua
