On 13 February, the largest international trade fair for organic products Biofach 2024 started in Nuremberg, Germany, covering the organic food, beverage and non-food sectors. The fair will run until 16 February 2024.
This year, 38 companies are presenting the export potential of the Ukrainian organic sector at Biofach 2024 within two National Pavilions, a collective stand and three individual expositions. This is the largest number of exhibitors in the history of the country’s participation in the fair.
The participation of Ukrainian organic exporting companies at the trade fair was organised by the state institution “Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office” (EEPO, Ukraine), the state project Diia.Business, under the patronage of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, in partnership with the Ukrainian Berries Association, Organic Ukraine NGO and Organic Initiative Public Association, and OrganicInfo.ua, and with the support of:
- Switzerland within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian Program “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine” (QFTP), the EBRD’s Small Business Impact Fund and Organic Trade for Development in Eastern Europe (OT4D),
- USA through the Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF),
- Germany within the framework of the German-Ukrainian Cooperation in Organic Agriculture Project (COA), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and German Import Promotion Desk (IPD), funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
More information about the exhibitors can be found on OrganiInfo.ua and on the Diia.Business portal.
The Catalog of Ukrainian exporters of the National Pavilion of Ukraine is available here.
For the first time in history, this year the state logo for organic products was presented at the National Pavilion of Ukraine at the Biofach exhibition and the products labelled with it. “We are proud that the state logo for organic products can now be seen on Ukrainian organic products,” said Markiyan Dmytrasevych, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, “Thanks to the 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, the national organic legislation is being actively implemented”.
Mr Markiyan Dmytrasevych visited the fair as part of the policy delegation of representatives of the Ukrainian authorities, which also included: Mr Oleksandr Gaydu, Chairman, Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ms Maryna Kyslytska, Head of the State Policy Division on Organic Production of the Food Security and Excise Products Directorate of the Department of State Policy on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, Ms Olha Semenchuk, Deputy Director of the Food Safety, Veterinary Medicine and Control Department in the Field of Organic Production — Head of the Food Safety, Feed and Control Division in the Field of Organic Production, State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection.
During their visit to Biofach 2024, the policy delegation presented Ukraine at the international level, providing the international community with up-to-date information on the current state of the organic sector in Ukraine. Over the next 4 days, they will participate in working meetings with representatives of ministries from different countries, international organisations and organic market participants to build long-term partnerships.
More details are available on the website of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection.
This year’s Biofach 2024 Congress is held under the theme “Food of the Future: Women’s Impact on Sustainable Food Systems” and will focus on the transformative power of women in the agri-food sector and their role in creating a sustainable future for the organic food system. Ukraine is also represented at the Congress. Thus, on 14 February, the conference “At the Frontline – Women of Ukraine are Changing the World” takes place, where women leaders of the Ukrainian organic sector share their vision of the achievements and challenges faced by the Ukrainian organic sector in the context of war.
The conference is organised by the German-Ukrainian Cooperation in Organic Agriculture Project (COA) and the Swiss-Ukrainian programme “Higher Value Added Trade Development in the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine” (QFTP).
For more details, follow the link.
For more information, see the materials of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL (Switzerland):