Tomatoes are rotting in the fields of the Mykolaiv region: farmers have nowhere to sell their harvest
Problems with sales are linked, in particular, to damage to the PepsiCo plant
Part of the industrial tomato harvest in Mykolaiv region is spoiling right in the fields: farmers cannot find buyers for their produce. The situation is worsened by autumn cold and rain.
Farmer Viktor Svidersky described the problem on his page on Instagram. According to him, previously the harvested tomatoes could be sent to a processing plant, but that option is now unavailable:
“Sandora is gone, the factory that used to accept [them] is gone. The tomatoes are gradually spoiling, there are no sales, nowhere to deliver.”
The farmer explained that the produce began to spoil with the onset of cold and rainy weather. Processors and supermarkets are not accepting the harvest, and, he says, there is insufficient market demand.
One of the circumstances linked to local producers’ sales difficulties is the damage to PepsiCo‘s production facilities in the Mykolaiv region as a result of a Russian strike on August 29. The company produces, among other things, juices, carbonated drinks and iced tea. Local farmers had planned to send part of their crop for processing, but the damage to the plant affected their ability to sell it.
The shelling of “Sandora” also had environmental consequences: over 951 tonnes of pollutants were released into the atmosphere.
Viktor Svidersky called on consumers to support Ukrainian producers by choosing domestic agricultural products.
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