The Organic Initiative is a platform of key Ukrainian organic stakeholders, established in April 2020, which aims to contribute to organic sector development in Ukraine and promote organic trade on the domestic and international markets.
Since 24 April 2022, the beginning of active hostilities on the entire territory of Ukraine, we have been collecting the requests from Ukrainian organic producers for necessary aid and international partners willing to help the Ukrainian organic sector; we are continuing communication with organic market operators and planning to support them in these difficult times.
The organic sector, as part of Ukraine’s agri-food sector, has an impact on food security and, at the same time, on the environment and biodiversity affected by hostilities and in need of support.
How to support the Ukrainian organic sector now
Some organic producers have organic products in stock which they are ready to sell and restore their production; some organic producers need support to export their products and find sales channels, because export has almost stopped with the beginning of hostilities and blocking seaport via which the majority of organic products used to be exported. Other organic producers are already going to the fields and starting spring soil cultivation in spite of existing problems with fuel in Ukraine.
Almost 70% of the surveyed producers need financial support – access to cheap credit, investments and/or dedicated support. 15% need support with export and 7% need support with promotion on the domestic market.
Domains in focus of the Organic Initiative and international support in the nearest time:
- Non-repayable financial assistance to organic producers:
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- Financial assistance to the Ukrainian operators,
- A large-scale involvement of numerous organizations and private individuals to support the Ukrainian organic sector,
- Purchasing organic products from organic producers and passing them to the army, internally displaced persons, vulnerable population, etc,
- Compensation for the cost of organic certification,
- Support to organic producers who provide shelter for displace persons at their facilities.
- Support with access to plant protection products, fertilizers and other inputs permitted in organic production, seeds, and other support related to organic technologies.
- Support to the Organic Initiative’s coordination centre: legal and accounting advice, export consultancy, information support, etc.
- Support to the image of Ukraine and Ukrainian organic producers in the international arena via communication with mass media, organizations of international organic movement, international technical assistance projects and donor organizations.
Contacts for communication:
Organic Initiative’s coordination centre for producers
Olena Korogod (Berezovska), President of Organic Ukraine NGO, +380 67 247 8564, ob@organicukraine.org.ua
Immediate financial assistance to organic sector
Kateryna Shor, Information Centre “Green Dossier”, +380 67 440 5937 (WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, Signal), +49 16 091 468 987 e-mail: kateryna.shor@gmail.com.
Bank details.
International cooperation and fundraising for organic sector
Olena Deineko, Director of Organic Business School, +48 573 816 280 (Poland), +380 050 944 1242 (Ukraine), +380 067 103 9694 (WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram), e-mail: info@organicbusiness.ua.
More about the situation in the organic sector of Ukraine in connection with the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Organic Initiative: https://organicinfo.ua/en/news/organic-appeal/
The activities of the Organic Initiative are supported by Switzerland within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian Program “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine”.
