Rykun said that Orniberry currently cultivates around 100 hectares of blueberries.

«Our goal is to expand to 300 hectares. It is a dream that our entire team is working to achieve,» Yevhenii Rykun said.

He identified the development of the company’s infrastructure, protection of plantations, and further expansion of production as key priorities, noting that demand for Ukrainian blueberries continues to outpace supply.

Several years ago, the company received a grant to establish a new 25-hectare blueberry plantation, which was successfully completed. It is now awaiting another grant to purchase equipment, including anti-hail netting and protective growing tunnels.

«Hail can cause significant damage to plantations. We plan to equip 20 hectares with protective tunnels. Having already gone through the grant process, I can say that the system is highly transparent and effective,» the Orniberry owner concluded.

According to the State Statistics Service, Ukrainian farmers planted 165,000 hectares of sugar beet this year.

«This is 20,000 hectares less than the area previously reported by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, which estimated this year’s sugar beet acreage at 185,600 hectares,» the association concluded.