Features of the Public association "Community of Pulse Producers and Customers of Ukraine"

Source

APK-Inform

2659

 

The public association "Community of Pulse Producers and Customers of Ukraine" (SPPBU) is a non-profitable public organization created in 2015 to unite Ukrainian farmers and processors, experts of agrarian science, trading companies, financial institutions and other participants interested around one of the major segments in the agrarian and industrial complex of Ukraine – development of pulse crops. Such problem was included to the 2016-2020 Program development having been agreed by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.

 

 

 

Senior managers

Head of the association

Sklyarenko Antonina Vladimirovna - the President at the SPPBU

2010 -2013 –Director at LLC AVAS Trade (export/imports of beans)

Since 2014 – Director at LLC Ekointer trade (export/imports of beans)

In 2015 became the President at the Public association "Community of Pulse Producers and Customers of Ukraine"

The board member on trade

Kodintsev Alexander Anatolyevich

Director at K&SH AGRO

The board member on logistics

Shtefanets Alexander Stepanovich

Director at LLC Shtef Logistic

Director

Varenik Nikolai Petrovich

Director at LLC Soya-Ukraina

 

Questions to the team of senior managers

- Why do you consider it is important to support and lobby the interests of market participants in the reporting market segment?

First of all, we want to emphasize that at the Public association "Community of Pulse Producers and Customers of Ukraine" was formed with the main goal – prompting the development of the Ukrainian leguminous branch of agro-industrial complex.

Therefore, our principle consists not in lobbyism of market participants, but development of the Ukrainian pulse market by itself that resulted in bearing results to its participants which have already started to cultivate pulses, and also to those producers which now actively study him.

This spring we have faced problems concerning providing farmers with seeds of pulses. Therefore, we raise questions for the Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Food of Ukraine and other government institutions in order to be prepared for the conclusion import contracts for qualitative seeds of pulses as for commodity production, as for another scientific-research work in the NAAN institutions of Ukraine. Also, the SPPBU actively cooperates with agricultural holdings and traders.

 

- What most important achievements of your association can be allocated? What purposes and tasks does the association face in the short-and long term?

The main goals of our association is the introduction of pulses to crop rotation, and increasing of the areas under the crop. We consider the main achievement of our young association is the increase of farmers’ interest in cultivation of pulses in Ukraine. We may observe the upward dynamics of all varieties of pulses cultivated in Ukraine during last two years of our work activity. Though, according to our program, we can reach the planned targets of growth only in 2018. From the experience of 2015-2016 it follows, that since 2017, the main thrust should be made on obligatory organizations with the involvement of the Ukrainian and foreign scientists in the agrarian sphere of systematic farmers training to master them successful agrotechnologies which have undergone approbation in various regions of Ukraine.

 

 

- How do you plan to achieve the mentioned goals? What ways of market participants lobbying interests you consider as the most effective?

First of all, we need professional team of adherents, and then the objectives will be solved more successfully. Taking into account the realization of goals at the first stage of Community pulses formation in 2015, it is possible to tell with confidence that we have such a team. Today we will be glad also to see new members of our team, adherents who are interested in pulses development in Ukraine. The community is enlarging and here we have there enough work for all.

It is worth emphasizing that our community right since the beginning accepted the strategy development which is based not on the increase of the number of its members, but joining the adherents, producers and market participants by the common goal – to revive pulses branch. Therefore we are actively cooperate with agrarian science, and also with the analytical and consulting services. Originally, we saw the urgent need in program branch development, discussion of key problems both with market operators, and with domestic and international experts, as well as authorities.

Let me note, that relevant ministry, and the international organizations divide our vision and a position concerning the necessity of taking measures which would stimulate the development of the branch. In particular, it goes on drawing on the best practice of the reporting crops cultivation, crop variety testing, and also promoting pulses as the crops with high content of protein (an alternative to meat) and healthy food.

Among main activities of the SPPBU are holding master classes for farmers, specialists of small and mid-enterprises for the purpose of teaching them the successful agrotechnologies of pulses cultivation in Ukraine.

No lesser importance has a question of crops realization and in this context our members have practical experience in sending container and ship batches for export.

 

- How do you assess the situation being developed in this segment of the market at the current moment?

We may constant that the market of pulses in Ukraine successfully develops. The so-called "niche" crops like chick-pea, lentil, haricot will take their honor place in a country crop rotation in the nearest future. 2016 was officially proclaimed to be the International Year of Pulses by the United Nations General Assembly. The world food organization UN (FAO) has referred only four high-protein crops to be the main ones for the world human ration – chick-peas, lentil, haricot and peas.

The prospects for cultivation chick-pea and lentil as more drought-resistant crops are getting more realistic due to the warming climate of Ukraine especially in the South and prairies. That will promote better crop rotation with simultaneous improvement of soils fertility. We consider the planted areas increase planned by the Program to 280 thsd ha by 2020 as minimum. According to the Dr.Sci.Biol., professor of the Odessa Selection and genetic institute Vyacheslav Ivanovich Sichkar, the production increase of pulses will be stimulated in Ukraine by the growing demand from the outside. According to his forecast, the planted areas under pulses in Ukraine can reach 450-500 thsd ha by 2020, and generally, 800-900 thsd ha (taking into account peas) with the general production at 1.2-1.5 mln tonnes.

 

- What, in your opinion, should be undertaken first of all to achieve higher rates of market activities?

If In short – it is necessary to teach farmers to grow up chosen pulse crops successfully to inform them with the market requirements of quality and to help them with the realization of the grown-up harvest. According to our forecasts, by 2020 the planted areas under pulse crops (without peas) will increase more than by 3.5 times, and the number of farmers growing up pulses will total around 4500-5500 that consists only 10% of their quantity in Ukraine.

Therefore, the SPPBU sees its main task for the next years in ensuring farmers of continuous scientific and agrarian trainings in order to possess the secrets of receiving the great harvest, bringing to export standards, acquaintance with fundamentals of logistics and export. And this all will promote dynamic development of the pulses market and help farmers to become more successful in the financial plan.

 

 

- What role does play the branch associations in development of the agrarian market and your association in particular? How is it expressed?

Branch associations successfully work all over the world, and experience of Ukrainian associations also proves it. As well as associations unite mainly successful agricultural enterprises, their practices, experience can be essential for the Ministry of Agrarian Policy in development not only current plans and tasks, but have a ground for best representatives to participate in strategies development of agrarian and industrial complex of Ukraine.

It is possible to add that the Ukrainian associations take active part in national and international exhibitions, forums, conferences, introducing many different activities in the work of agrarian market. Concerning the assessment of association’s activity, we would allocate primarily the increase of the outputs and as a result – growth of currency proceeds from export.

 

Message of manager team of the association to market participants

Cultivating pulses is financially successful in Ukraine due to high-marginality. Sales market for the reporting crops is huge, and during next decade demand will only grow both within the country, and abroad.

 

Comment

Andrey Vdovichenko, Director at Skvirskoye experimental station of organic production. As far as I work in organic sector, and the pulses being key crops for organic agriculture, I can mark effective cooperation with SPPBU. We have jointly spent too days in fields while informing farmers the basis of cultivation, including that for organic agriculture. Especially, it should be noted, that the association actively involves scientists-agrarians that promotes farmers awareness and efficient use of agro-technologies.

I consider the holding of First international conference "Pulses. A rate on maximum efficiency” in November 2016 to be also a big merit of the association. Great number of foreign embassies representatives from the leading countries as well as high level of reports, tasting amazing dishes from pulses and presence of more than 200 participants does confirm that Ukraine is the country of pulses!

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