On 26 August 2024, the Lviv Agrarian Chamber was invited to attend a working meeting at the Lviv District Military Administration, alongside representatives of the Department of Agricultural and Industrial Development of the Lviv Regional State Administration, family farms from the Lviv district, and the charitable organisation ‘Lviv Agrarian Advisory Service’.
The event aimed to inform family farms about opportunities for financial and grant support, as well as the new challenges and prospects associated with Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. The main focus was on improving farmers’ market position and promoting the long-term development of their farms.
The Chairman of the LAC, Ihor Vuytsyk, presented the activities of the Lviv Agrarian Chamber in several key areas, particularly regarding support for farms and participation in international projects. He spoke in detail about the LAC’s cooperation with the UN World Food Programme, under which the Institutional Food Programme is being implemented.
The LAC Chairman also highlighted the social project ‘Bread for Peace in Ukraine’, which aims to support small-scale agricultural producers engaged in livestock farming and cereal cultivation. The project is being implemented through a partnership with the social cooperative Pausa Café (Italy) and the Lviv Regional State Administration and contributes to the sustainable development of rural areas. Particular attention was paid to the LAP’s participation in the project ‘Protection of biodiversity in the cross-border territories of Ukraine and Poland from the hogweed population’ (NoHeracleumUA&PL). This project, in which the LAC acts as the lead partner, aims to preserve ecosystems and protect biodiversity from invasive species that pose a threat to the region’s environment.
A representative of the Lviv Agrarian Chamber, Davyd Kravchenko, briefed those present on the support measures available to farmers in the field of milk production and processing. In conclusion, he spoke about upcoming grant programmes from the FAO, the EU and USAID AGRO, and encouraged farms to participate actively in them.
Ivan Pankiv, Director of the LADS Charitable Organisation, explained how farmers can join the ‘Services for Effective Dairy Herd Management’ project, funded by the USAID AGRO Programme. He also shared practical advice on using the results of milk laboratory analyses to increase the yield of high-quality milk.
Participants actively discussed financial support, particularly regarding the receipt of budget subsidies per hectare of agricultural land and per head of cattle and goats through the State Agrarian Register. Galina Kaminska, Head of the Economic Analysis and Strategic Planning Division of the Lviv Regional State Administration’s Department of Agro-Industrial Development, provided a detailed explanation of this support and answered all questions regarding it.
In conclusion, the event participants emphasised the important role of advisory services in Ukraine, noting that high-quality consultancy services from specialists are a key factor in improving the efficiency and competitiveness of farms.
Source: Lviv Agrarian Chamber