On Sunday, 7 May 2023, on the day of the celebration of the 767th anniversary of the city of Lviv, the Lviv Taste Fair took place at the Palace of Arts. The event was organised to support small and medium-sized producers of certified organic, craft dairy and local products from Ukraine and, in particular, Lviv region. About 50 producers of organic, craft dairy and local products from Ukraine offered their products at the Fair: honey, teas, juices, cheeses and other dairy products, pastilles, cereals, oils, jams, meat products and other delicacies. During the Fair, Lviv residents and visitors had the opportunity to learn more about certified organic products, taste cheeses that won international and national competitions, meet local producers of the Lviv region, and take part in open workshops, tastings and quizzes.
The event included a press conference with the organisers, partners and participants of the Lviv Taste Fair.
Taras Vysotskyi, the First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine: “The majority of European economies are built and maintained primarily on small and medium-sized businesses. Ukraine, as a country that has chosen to join the European Union, should pursue a similar path in terms of economic recovery and development. It is essential to support small, medium and local producers, including in the agricultural sector. The production of dairy and certified organic products, as well as other types of food products, is a priority for the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and the Government. Numerous grant programmes have already been launched in the context of eRobota, where producers can receive financial support from the state, and such programmes will be further expanded. It is encouraging that the Lviv region is one of the leaders both in terms of the number and establishment of new small, medium and craft food producers and in terms of receiving relevant grants from the state. We are confident that this is just the beginning and that the number will grow every year. Importantly, events such as today’s Lviv Taste Fair provide an opportunity to inform consumers about these products and demonstrate their quality characteristics. It is my belief that everyone who visits and tastes the products presented today will remain a fan of high-quality Ukrainian organic, dairy and craft food products.”
Tetiana Hetman, Director of the Department of Agricultural Development at the Lviv Regional Military (State) Administration: “In spite of the war and difficult economic circumstances, the Fair is an important tool to support farmers who work in the rear to win, pay taxes, and provide the state and the frontline with products. It is a promotion of farmers, assistance in attracting additional customers and direct sales of products, on the one hand, and it is an opportunity for consumers to meet directly with a local producer of a unique quality product, on the other hand” said Tetiana Hetman, Director of the Department of Agricultural Development of the Lviv Regional State Administration.
Andreas Huber, Head of Cooperation, Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine: “Switzerland has been supporting the Ukrainian agricultural sector through technical support for the last twenty years. This support is focused on development of organic agriculture, access to finance for farmers, food safety, milk quality and animal health, building agricultural business association with the strengthened service provision for small and medium enterprises. Events like Lviv Taste Fair, are a good opportunity to highlight and support the work of organic and dairy stakeholders in the domestic market.”
Nataliia Cholovska, President of the Lviv City NGO Ecoterra: “Certified organic producers will be presenting their products at the Fair: from Lviv, Volyn, Zhytomyr, Ternopil and Kyiv regions. These events are important for the development of the domestic market and support for small and medium-sized producers of value-added products.”
Nataliia Kahadii, Director of ProCheese at Ardis Group: “It is crucial for Ukrainian business to embark on the path of unification and mutual support. The only way we can become the driving force of the Ukrainian economy and hasten our Victory is to be together. We are committed to showcasing Ukraine to the world through cheese, so we are ready to continue to represent Ukrainian cheeses on the international stage, and this year we are planning to participate in the World Cheese Awards 2023 again.”
Find out more about the participants of the event via the link.
Organizer of the event: Lviv Regional Military (State) Administration
Co-organizers of the event: Lviv city non-governmental organization “Ecoterra”, the ProCheese cheese connoisseur community
Under the patronage of: Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine
This event is supported by Switzerland within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian Program “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine” implemented by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL, Switzerland) in partnership with SAFOSO AG (Switzerland), www.qftp.org.
Media partner: OrganicInfo.ua
