Ukraine still lacks large vegetable storage facilities, contributing to imports and price fluctuations on the domestic market, Ukraine's People's Deputy and parliamentary Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy member Dmytro Solomchuk said in a statement to journalists.
Solomchuk noted that the shortage has worsened since 2022 after the loss of major storage facilities in the Kherson and Kharkiv regions, where between 15,000 and 25,000 t of production were previously stored.
He estimated that to fully supply the country with domestically produced vegetables, "about 115–120 vegetable storage facilities with a capacity roughly from 5 000 to 12 000 t" are needed. Solomchuk said this estimate is based on consumption patterns and the need to provide vegetables for the military, schools, kindergartens, and all consumers.
During the full-scale war, only two such facilities were built, and Solomchuk described small storage facilities as inadequate. "Small vegetable storage facilities do not work as a storage tool. They are, at best, a refrigerator for short-term sale at the market for a few days. As a systemic solution for preserving the harvest, it is not an effective approach, so it won't solve the overall problem," Solomchuk said.
He also said the lack of storage capacity forces farmers to sell vegetables at low prices, and that in spring, Ukraine will have to import products from Poland, Turkey, or Spain at higher prices. "Our farmers grow quality produce, but due to the lack of storage, it is either sold for pennies or goes bad. And in spring we buy imports at euros with logistics and duties, after which we are surprised by the prices in stores," he said.
Solomchuk highlighted a staffing issue in the agricultural sector, with farms "experiencing a deficit of up to 60% of their standard staffing," although he said women partly compensate for worker shortages, particularly in dairy and craft production.
Expert assessments cited in the report emphasise the need for a large-scale storage system and state support for building vegetable storage facilities, expanding greenhouse networks, and improving logistics to reduce import dependence and stabilise prices.
The 2026 budget allocates more than 50.7 billion hryvnias (about US$1.38 billion) to support the economy and business, including the agricultural sector, environmental protection, and ecological economy. Under the budget, farmers can receive grants to develop horticulture, berry farming, viticulture, greenhouse farming, and vegetable storage facilities, which are intended to support storage infrastructure development.
Officials noted that addressing harvest preservation requires systemic state support such as investments in storage infrastructure, expanded greenhouse networks, modernised logistics, and strengthened human resources, which are expected to reduce import dependence, lower price volatility, and support food market stability.
Source: Mezha
