Now agrarians are facing new problems: stopping the activities of enterprises in areas of combat operations, complexity of logistics and shortage of material and technical resources (MTR) needed to ensure uninterrupted production and marketing of products. Therefore, in order to continuously identify and promptly address the needs of various sectors of agro-industrial production aimed at maintaining the normal functioning of enterprises, FAO together with the WAR and partners implements the program "Support to small and medium farmers and SMEs in solving problems related to the disruption of supply chains caused by war".
The program has a comprehensive approach and aims to help manufacturers along the entire production chain. Consequently, the ACS under the project will address not only the issue of marketing of raised livestock, but also the provision of raw materials to meat processing plants.
Regarding the goals of the program, Oksana Yurchenko, president of the Association of Pig Breeders of Ukraine, notes: "FAO Investment Center, which is responsible for the implementation of the grant, in particular in partnership with the Association "Pig Breeders of Ukraine", has been implementing various technical support projects in Ukraine for more than ten years. Before the war, their attention was focused firstly on the prevention of epizootic risks: the implemented programs were aimed at increasing the awareness of Ukraine about African swine fever and reducing the risks of spreading the disease. Secondly, on ensuring food safety, including through the implementation of different industry standards. Third, worked to improve biosafety on domestic farms and meat processing plants. However, the invasion of Russia has significantly changed priorities and with the beginning of full-scale military operations, it became clear that now agro-producers are facing other challenges. And they are often critical for the existence of business.
Understanding the problems, the FAO in partnership with the WAR and ASU will support producers of agricultural products, particularly pork, along the entire value chain. The focus of the project is to identify the needs of producers and provide them. We are convinced that this cooperation is a necessary step to support both producers and industry organizations, the ultimate goal of which is to provide consumers in Ukraine with sufficient quantities of quality food products!".
The Association of Ukranian Pig Breeders (AUPB) is a nonprofit, voluntary organization founded by domestic pork producers. The main objectives of the association are representation and protection of rights and interests of the association farms, assistance in the development and implementation of new technologies for the efficient production of pork, expansion of markets, protection of domestic sales market.
