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| Important Ukrainian presence at BIOFACH 2024 | ||||||
| This marks its organic sector resilience and commitment | ||||||
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Official opening of the National Pavilion of Ukraine at BIOFACH 2024. © state institution "Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office" (EEPO, Ukraine) |
This year, Ukraine is represented at the event by two National Pavilions and a collective stand. Another 3 companies are presenting their products at separate expositions. The National Pavilion of Ukraine (Hall 4A, Stand 511) served as a platform for fruitful engagements, where 14 companies managed to host over 600 B2B meetings between Ukrainian producers and importers/distributors from the EU, USA, Middle East, Switzerland, and the UK. The result was three signed contracts amounting to €175,000, indicating a promising future for Ukrainian organic exports.
One of the standout success stories was Organic Export (Med of Ukraine TM), which secured a €100,000 contract on the first day for the supply of organic honey to Germany. Additionally, a new partnership was forged with a Romanian importer, with an agreement to deliver the first batch valued at €60,000.
Nutsee (Slow Walnuts TM) capitalised on the opportunity by clinching an order to supply 3 tonnes of walnuts to England, totalling €15,000. Meanwhile, Meetty TM representatives captivated visitors with Ukrainian organic chocolate, capturing the attention of German parliament members and held numerous B2B meetings.
The official policy delegation of Ukraine at BIOFACH 2024 included representatives from the Ukrainian Parliament, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, and the state institution "Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office" (EEPO). They engaged in high-level discussions with representatives from the EU Commission, the German and Czech governments, as well as international experts, showcasing Ukraine's resilience and innovative approaches in the organic sector, despite the challenges posed by the ongoing war.
Markiyan Dmytrasevych, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, underscored Ukraine's commitment to the organic market, highlighting its status as the EU's third-largest organic food supplier in 2022 and emphasising plans to align national organic legislation with EU standards in 2024. He expressed gratitude to Cem Özdemir, Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, for the warm reception and continuous support extended to Ukraine.
This year, for the first time at BIOFACH, the state logo for organic products was presented at the National Pavilion of Ukraine and the products labelled with it. This event symbolises a significant step towards enhancing the visibility and credibility of Ukrainian organic brands on the international stage. Since 2023, the Ukrainian organic legislation has been fully implemented, achieving accreditation of our first certification body, the launch of two state registers maintained by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and about 200 certified operators.
Ukraine was also represented at the BIOFACH 2024 Congress, which in 2024 was held under the slogan "Food for the Future: Women's Impact on Sustainable Food Systems" and was dedicated to the transformative power of women in the agri-food sector and their role in creating a more sustainable future for the organic food system.
Thus, during the Congress, female leaders of the Ukrainian organic sector from business, policy and civil society presented insights on achievements and challenges confronting the organic sector in Ukraine under the current conditions of war. A groundbreaking gender study of the organic sector in Ukraine was presented during the Congress.
In conclusion¸ the participation of 38 companies at BIOFACH 2024 underscores the resilience and innovative business approaches of Ukraine's organic sector, despite the challenges posed by the ongoing war. Despite border blockades and relentless attacks by Russia for two years, the global demand for Ukrainian agri-food products, including organic ones, remains stable, with Ukrainian exporters fulfilling their contractual obligations for organic product supply. Ukraine's position as the EU's third-largest importer of organic products reaffirms the responsibility of its producers to international partners, demonstrating unwavering strength, diligence, and reliability despite the adversities of war.
Under the patronage of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine (MAPF), Ukraine's presence at BIOFACH 2024 is supported by multiple partners: the Swiss-Ukrainian Program "Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sectors in Ukraine" (QFTP), funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO); Organic Trade 4 Development in Eastern Europe (OT4D); the German-Ukrainian Cooperation in Organic Farming (COA), funded by the German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL); the Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF), funded by the U.S. government via USAID; the EBRD's Small Business Impact Fund; and the Import Promotion Desk (IPD), funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
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