Potato growing in Ukraine relies on two things – irrigation and storage: farmer
4 December 2025 19:20
The lack of irrigation systems and modern potato storage facilities jeopardizes the development of Ukrainian potato growing. After all, climate change and freshwater shortages jeopardize the stability of crops. This was stated in an interview with the YouTube channel "Komersant Ukrainian" by Sergiy Rybalko, a member of the Board of Directors of the Ukrainian Association of Potato Producers.
“Potato growing is about two things. It is irrigation and storage. If you don’t have irrigation, you have nothing to do in potato growing. Even in the north of Ukraine,” he said.
According to Rybalko, the climate zones have shifted so much that the traditional precipitation for Ukraine has become uneven, heavy and rare.
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“The climate has become hotter and drier. Precipitation is rare, but of the heavy rain type. This year, we had 212 millimeters of precipitation in 7 days. This is a huge amount. And the lack of moisture in these gaps leads to crop stress,” he informs.
Rybalko also drew attention to the catastrophic consequences of the destruction of the Kakhovka reservoir.
“With the loss of the Kakhovka Reservoir, we lost about a quarter of our freshwater reserves. We were already a low-water country, and now we have become completely waterless. And for us, the No. 1 issue is water storage and water conservation,” he informs.
The farmer also sharply criticized the so-called “pseudo-environmentalists” who advocate complete deregulation of rivers and the actual discharge of water into the sea.
“The policy pursued by the pseudo-environmentalists is criminal,” he emphasized.
At the same time, according to Rybalko, the government is paying special attention to irrigation reform. A separate support program has already been envisaged.
“There is a small subsidy of 200 million hryvnias for the construction and reconstruction of irrigation networks,” he added.
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Rybalko is confident that without systematic water conservation, irrigation and storage development, the Ukrainian potato industry will not be competitive on the international market.
