Ukraine is a unique place for the development of the fruits-and-vegetables segment. The opportunities of the country in this area are actually great due to favorable climate and advantageous geographical location.
However, these advantages do not guarantee success. The Ukrainian gardeners have to train to use them properly. Otherwise, they will obtain a small benefit.
The situation with apple crop in 2018 is an illustrative example of this statement. The gardeners gathered the great crops but they failed to convert their luck into profit. What caused this situation? There are several reasons but the fundamental one is the lack of modern technologies at the enterprises.
This situation showed that there can’t be any talk about the profit without
investments into technologies, in particular, into the good storage facilities.
Do the fruit companies of Ukraine have a chance to become actually successful? And which is the Ukrainian fruit business of the future?
The clear proof of this is a history of youthful Ukrainian company “Sady Dnepra” (“Dnipro Gardens”) invested by well-known businessman Vadym Iermolaiev. The “Sady Dnepra” (“Dnipro Gardens”) is one of the few fruit enterprises of Ukraine with a focus on the very technologies.
What is the “Sady Dnepra” (“Dnipro Gardens”) company like?
The “Sady Dnepra” (“Dnipro Gardens”) is a Ukrainian company established in 2016. Total area of apple garden is equal to about 100 ha currently. However, it is planned to expand the area significantly. The company grows apples of six
varieties: Gala Schniga, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Pinova, Fuji and Red Delicious. The goods of the “Sady Dnepra” (“Dnipro Gardens”) company are well-known under the brand Uapple.
The entire crop of the company is exported to the countries of the European Union, Asia and the Middle East.
The formula for success of the “Sady Dnepra” (“Dnipro Gardens”) company lies in the innovations
The fundamental principle the company adheres to is an application of modern technologies.
Investor of the gardens, Vadym Iermolaiev, funds the construction of the large
refrigeration complex at the premises of the company. This storage facility will
become the largest in Ukraine. The experts say that such an investment would give rise to the development of the fruits-and-vegetables segment of the regional and the entire country.
The area of refrigerated storage facility constitutes 20 thousand m2 and will allow allocating more than 19 thousand tons of apples. For comparison, this number comes short of the volume of exported apples from all over Ukraine within the period between July 2018 and February 2019 (27 thousand of tons) just a little.
The new complex will be not only the largest, but also the most innovative in the country.
It is planned to complete the construction in 2020.
The storage has a regulated gaseous environment. Application of such technology makes it possible to decrease the oxygen content resulting in ethylene evolution decrease. This means that ripening of the goods is slowed and the taste and nutritive properties are retained.
The control system is based on an advanced ACR technology (breath control
system). This technology is able to measure the “respiratory coefficient” in the
atmosphere of the refrigerating chamber and reduce the shrinkage of apples to a minimum.
It is possible to control the entire system with the use of regular smart phone
anywhere on Earth.
However, the arrangement of storage process is only half the battle. So, the company also constructs the modern sorting shop.
How it will function? The electronic machinery will carry out the wash-out of the fruits, their disinfection, as well as rejection of unsound apples. Computer vision system will help to eliminate the apples which do not meet the specified criteria.
Top-quality apples will arrive to final belt-type conveyor for the further packing.
Global experience at the Ukrainian enterprise
The next phrase speaks volumes about the Netherlandian experience in the fruits cultivation: “God created earth, and the Hollanders created the fuits-and-vegetables paradise on this earth”. So, the Ukrainian “Sady Dnepra” (“Dnipro Gardens”) company learns from the Hollanders, the global segment leaders.
The gardens are under 24/7 surveillance of the consulting company FruitConsult, The Netherlands. The consultant visits the enterprise each month in order to advise to the employees how to act at every stage of crop growth best of all.
The meteorological station installed in the gardens makes it possible to state accurately such parameters as the humidity and air temperature, amount of precipitations, wind velocity and direction, atmosphere pressure etc.
According to advices of professionals from the Netherlands, the entire area of the garden is covered with special screen protecting from hail and solar burns.
Drip watering and pump station enables to fuel the trees by moisture and useful substances on time.
According to recommendation of the Hollanders, about 20 houses for useful
insects were installed in the gardens. They facilitate pollination during the blossom season and help in pest control. Moreover, about 200 shelters with bees are located in the garden during the blossom season.
Recognition in the world and in Ukraine
The “Sady Dnepra” (“Dnipro Gardens”) was oriented towards export from the date of its establishment. The international standard Global G.A.P. enabled to give the clear sign of safety and quality of products to the importers.
This standard was created by European retail networks of the food products sale. From here the implementation of the standard Global G.A.P. at the enterprise shows that the producer warrants the quality of the goods.
This standard controls all processes at production site – the business structure, the occupational hygiene and safety and qualitative characteristics of the product.
Moreover, the standard traces the use of the plant protection agents and fertilizers which means that it is able to improve the ecological situation in the country.
Complying with the requirements of Global G.A.P. the producer may be confident that he does the right thing.
The “Sady Dnepra” (“Dnipro Gardens”) company obtained the international
certificate in 2017 and it confirms its conformity to standard annually.
The youthful company became the basis of delivery of training on certification
according to the standard Global G.A.P. this year. About 30 representatives of the fruit-and-vegetables company from south-east Ukraine participated in this event.
International Trade Centre, the agency on technical cooperation of the United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development and World Trade Organisation
was one of the training organizers.
The fact that so youthful company managed to serve as an example of implementation of global standards shows that the “Sady Dnepra” (“Dnipro
Gardens”) company is one of the most dynamically developing company of
Ukraine. This is also confirmed by the nomination “Powerful development” from the magazine The Ukranian Farmer which the company was awarded in May.
Oleksandrp Pakhno, CEO of the “Sady Dnepra” (“Dnipro Gardens”) company,
formulates the fundamental mission of the enterprise as the common mission for all Ukrainian fruits-and-vegetables companies:
“The Ukrainian gardeners have the same common goal: we want to enable our
fruits and vegetables to be in demand on the world market. For these reasons our company is ready to share its experience and knowledge with the other enterprises.I believe that our experience may be helpful for the entire Ukraine”.