With help from the Swiss, the Rivne region has launched a factory for freezing berries.

Located in the village of Ozhenyn, the new facility was set up in a previously abandoned fruit cannery. The enterprise will create 20 jobs and can process 140 tons of high-standard products each year. Strawberry, raspberry, and currant crops have already been cultivated on 300 hectares. This mini-factory was made possible through the Organic Trade for Development (OT4D) project, carried out in Rivne with Swiss backing.

According to industry experts, the growth of frozen vegetable exports is a direct consequence of Ukraine’s rapid berry cultivation development. In the first quarter of 2024, the export of frozen vegetables from Ukraine increased by more than 100% compared to the same period in 2023.

However, this year’s berry and fruit harvest in Ukraine will decline due to several waves of spring frosts that impacted even the more frost-resistant apple and pear orchards across the country. As a result, overall production of cherries, peaches, nectarines, and apricots in Ukraine is expected to be relatively low, and a decline in summer raspberry yields is anticipated, though blueberries remain unaffected.