From February 24 to 28, Tobias Eisenring, Program Director of the Swiss-Ukrainian Programme «Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine (QFTP)», visited Ukraine. The primary goal of his visit was to meet with stakeholders from both the private and public sectors to determine the program’s priorities in supporting Ukraine’s organic and dairy sectors.
During a meeting with the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection (SSUFSCP), discussions focused on harmonizing dairy product quality control standards with EU requirements, improving veterinary and sanitary control measures, and expanding export opportunities for Ukrainian dairy products on international markets. SSUFSCP representatives emphasized the importance of further cooperation in enhancing the digitalization of these processes.
On February 27, an online introductory meeting on the “Roadmap for EU Integration – Dairy Sector of Ukraine” took place, with the participation of Marco Kräuchi, Program Manager at Trade Promotion Section, Swiss State Secretariate for Economic Affairs (SECO). He highlighted that Switzerland has long supported Ukraine’s agricultural sector, particularly the dairy sector, including through the Quality Food Trade Program and now by assisting in the development of the EU integration roadmap for Ukraine’s dairy sector.
Additionally, the visit included trips to “Organic Export”, one of Ukraine’s largest producers and exporters of organic honey, and to the family-owned goat farm and cheesemaking facility “Dooobra Ferma.”
During his mission, Tobias Eisenring met with Eduard Krychfalushiy, owner and director of “Med Ukrainy” LLC and “Organic Export” LLC, a company specializing in organic honey exports. They discussed the challenges of exporting organic honey and shared valuable insights on developing organic exports. As a result, numerous ideas were generated, which are planned for implementation in the expansion phase of QFTP.
A meeting was also held with Nataliya Kagadiy, Head of ProCheese Department in Ardis Group, the official representative and organizer of Ukraine’s participation in the World Cheese Awards, to discuss future initiatives and projects.
The delegation to “Dooobra Ferma” included: Andreas Huber, Director of the Cooperation Program at the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine, Viktor Shutkevych, Assistant Director for Cooperation at the Embassy of Switzerland, Tobias Eisenring, QFTP Program Director, Igor Kravchenko, Local Program Manager, Iryna Vysotska, Dairy Sector Component Coordinator.
Taras Lozhenko, owner of “Dooobra Ferma”, shared the results of a study tour for Ukrainian cheesemakers, which was organized with the support of QFTP and WNISEF. The tour included participation in the World Cheese Awards (WCA) in Portugal and visits to cheesemaking factories in Italy. Thanks to QFTP’s support, his cheeses have participated in WCA three times (2022-2024), winning four awards for “Bikoz,” “Lehenda,” and “Shevr Shedevr” cheeses.
During the visit to “Dooobra Ferma,” an online meeting was held with representatives of the “Association of Cheese Producers of Ukraine” (NGO). Tetyana Dyadechko, Head of the Association, spoke about the key challenges facing small cheesemakers in Ukraine, including access to financing, the need to improve marketing and production strategies, and increasing the recognition of Ukrainian cheese on the international stage.
“We see tremendous potential in Ukraine’s dairy and organic sectors. Our goal is to help Ukrainian producers meet the highest quality standards, expand their markets, and integrate into the European market. Supporting local producers and promoting the sustainable development of these sectors is a priority for QFTP,” – said Tobias Eisenring.
Swiss-Ukrainian Programme «Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine (QFTP)» is implemented by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL, Switzerland) in partnership with SAFOSO AG (Switzerland).
