A kind of Thanet Earth, but for the Ukraine. That is how Arne van Aalst,CEO of Prominent, envisions the Galicia Greenery project. The organizationinvested in 5.7 hectares of greenhouses in the western Ukraine. This Summer theseshould host peppers, tomatoes, lettuce and herbs for the local Ukrainianmarket. "The costs in the Ukraine don’t differ much from those in the Netherlands,so the profit is in the logistics,” says Van Aalst.
The Galicia Greenery was set up as an alternative for long, tedious andcostly transportation to the Eastern European country. “The Ukraine depends on import.But all the stuff just takes forever to get there,” says Van Aalst. “Plus,there is a large demand for local produce. So we decided to step in and provideexactly that. We are there with the express intention to sell locally, not toexport.”
The choice for the Ukraine came from Food Ventures, a company thatinitiates greenhouse projects in the region around the Black Sea. Severalshareholders, including Rainbow, have invested in the project. "Thisallows us to do something in local for local, with limited input."
arne@dcprominent.nl