June 27 2006, 15:38

Farmers are looking forward ecologically pure production

There is no secret in the constantly growing competition on Ukrainian produce market; it makes producers look for the ways to increase competitiveness of the grown commodities on market. The producers endeavor to make their produce look attractive on shelves and hit buyers' eye. New varieties and hybrids, post harvest handling and packing practices are used for it. At the same time, Ukrainian buyer is known to prefer national produce; it is considered to be tastier and more ecologically pure. Many national producers mention this fact as an advantage of locally grown fruits and vegetables. To our regret, it is not so. Trying to save harvest and good look of the grown produce, Ukrainian producers have been applying chemicals of the same world brands as the majority of farmers in the world for a long time. Due to less rigid system of purity control on market, some producers turn the blind eye to violations in the application of fertilizers and plant protection assets on their fields that inevitably increase the content of dangerous chemicals in the produce.

There is no doubt that organic production, practically without chemicals, is more expensive. Still, according to the polls, a growing number of consumers are ready to pay for purity of the purchased commodities.

It is not easy to get the status of organic producer. To obtain an international certificate, a producer should not only stop applying prohibited fertilizers and plant protection assets, but also certify fields.

The certification process proceeds several years; it is rather expensive.

Now there are few certified farms in Ukraine; almost all of them produce grain crops.

However, more fruit and vegetable producers would like to increase ecologic purity of the grown commodities. One of the ways to do it is to reduce or stop applying toxic plant protection assets. Such technologies have been already available in Ukraine.

"A pilot program for Odesa oblast is developed in our Institute; it has passed evaluation test in the Agricultural Academy of Ukraine", Grigoriy Bogach says, the Director of BioLab "Biotechnic cetner" LLC. "To the present moment we have more than 20 types of benefitial microorganisms which are able to provide complex biologic protection to practically all crops. Chemicals for greenhouse vegetable production are 70-100% replaced with biologic products. Up to 80% of chemicals can be replaced with biologic assets in orchards producing early fruits", the specialist thinks.

"On recommendation of the Agricultural Marketing Project (AMP) we have been utilizing the technologies of bio-protection from "Biotechnic cetner" LLC. for peach orchard for the second year already", Sergey Pukhkan says, the Chief of ISON farm. "The technology proved to work very good - the protection quality of bio products is as good as chemicals. Biological assets do not do harm workers in orchard, and they are cheaper. I think this technology has a future".

"We are satisfied with the results of appliance of biological protection methods", Valentina Kotsur concludes, the Agronomist of Odesa AMP office.

These technologies will be demonstrated during AMP Orchard day to be conducted on the basis of ISON farm on June 6th, 2006.