Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
To lessen the cucumber deficit in Zakarpattya is one of the main objectives of the regional office of the Agricultural Marketing Project
Zakarpattya oblast of Ukraine continues to involve record investments into processing branch of fruit-and-vegetable production. Though, to the opinion of analysts, the reasons for this phenomenon remain unclear. In fact, the capacities of vegetable canning (especially cucumbers) are constantly doubled in the region, though vegetable production is increasing by much lower rates.
That is why Zakarpattya office of the Agricultural Marketing Project (AMP) pays special attention to questions of technology improvement as for cucumber production in this region, offering farmers the information on the newest and most progressive "know-how". In this regard the experts of the Project organize the demosites, where the Field days are conducted. One of them has taken place on August, 17, 2005 on Voloshin farm, village Luchki, Mukachevo rayon. The event was dedicated to the modern highly effective technologies of cucumber production and marketing.
Despite of rainy weather, more than 100 persons participated in this Filed day, 80 of which were farmers. Such interest proves that it was a unique opportunity to observe 33 hybrids of a cucumber from the different seed companies, to compare their productivity and perspectives directly in a field. Besides, farmers have received the information on the characteristics the cucumbers should possess to be sold effectively to the processing enterprises of the region or on the fresh market. The participants also obtained the contact information of the main buyers and got an opportunity of access the objective AMP market information. The farmers very actively exchanged own experience during the event.
As is known, nine canneries are working on territory of the Zakarpattya oblast which general raw material is cucumber. However, two of these factories have failed to start working because the deficit on cucumber in the region, even more severe this year. The others were forced to inflate prices on raw material and to import it even from the other regions. One of principal reasons for the complicated cucumber purchase in the oblast is that the factories are not very active in the development of their raw material zones. That is why the Field days conducted by AMP are so popular. Judging from to the present prices on cucumber, the farmers who raise cucumbers using intensive technologies, have a real opportunity to receive steadily a very good profit. As a result of AMP activities, the acreage under cucumbers produced with the application of the intensive modern technologies may increase next year a minimum on 20-30 %.