Storage Support for Producers from International Organisations in Ukraine

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A support programme launched for producers operating in nine regions of Ukraine is drawing attention to storage needs during the harvest season.

The distribution of silo bags has begun in Ukraine to enable agricultural producers to temporarily store their harvested produce. The programme, which is of a humanitarian nature, covers farms in nine regions that cultivate between 100 and 3,000 hectares of land. The first distribution took place in Sumy.

The distribution in Sumy was attended by Denys Bashlyk, First Deputy Minister of Agricultural Policy and Food of Ukraine; representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO); the Ukrainian Red Cross; the international humanitarian aid organisation Prosper Global (formerly Mercy Corps); and officials from the Sumy Regional Military Administration.

Commenting on the matter, Bashlyk stated that they had begun distributing silo bags to farmers in areas close to the front line. According to Bashlyk, this support constitutes practical assistance for farms that need to store their harvested produce immediately. Noting that damage to part of the infrastructure and limited sea-based exports have increased the burden on existing storage facilities, Bashlyk said that the silo bags enable grain to be stored directly on the farm. Emphasising that this would prevent producers from being forced to sell their produce due to a lack of available storage capacity, Bashlyk also thanked the partners who ensured the aid reached producers directly.

To be implemented in nine regions

The programme covers agricultural producers in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson and Chernihiv regions. Priority is given to farms where infrastructure has been damaged. The silos are designed solely for the storage of producers’ own grain and oilseed crops.

According to the results of applications submitted via the State Agricultural Register, producers in the nine regions submitted a total of 2,319 applications for 13,881 silos. Bearing in mind that one silo can hold approximately 200 tonnes of grain, the need indicated by producers equates to the additional storage of approximately 2.8 million tonnes of grain and oilseeds.

The aid is provided free of charge to agricultural producers. The initiative is being implemented by the FAO, the UN World Food Programme (WFP), Prosper Global and the Ukrainian Red Cross, in collaboration with the Ukrainian Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Food. The programme is also supported by the Government of Canada, the European Union, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and the US Department of State.

What is a silo bag, and what does it offer?

Silo bags are known as multi-layered plastic storage solutions that enable grain and oilseeds to be stored directly at the edge of the field or on the farm premises, without the need for traditional storage structures. Designed to be airtight, these systems offer a practical option for businesses seeking to meet temporary capacity needs during harvest periods, as they can be set up quickly and do not require investment in permanent infrastructure.

A producer with storage facilities can choose to monitor market conditions and bring their produce to market at a more favourable time, rather than selling it immediately after harvest. For this reason, additional storage capacity is regarded not only as a physical storage solution but also as a factor that provides flexibility in farms’ financial planning.

Officials highlight that the need for additional storage space remains considerable. Due to damage to agricultural infrastructure and a slowdown in exports, the capacity shortfall for storing cereals and oilseeds is projected to reach 11 million tonnes by November.

The provision of silos to farmers is enabling part of this need to be met already. In parallel, Ukraine is continuing its efforts to restore seaborne exports to full capacity and to expand alternative logistics options. The distribution process is expected to continue across the nine regions covered by the programme.

In the grain and oilseed sector, storage capacity remains one of the key factors determining the flow of produce and the timing of market supply during the post-harvest period. This initiative, which brings together international organisations, donor countries and the relevant ministry, is expected to help producers manage the harvest period in a more organised manner.