The agricultural sector in the Kherson region is gradually being restored. Despite all the difficulties and the proximity to the front, farmers are returning to the fields.
For many farmers this is not just work, but the beginning of a new life — a fresh start after forced relocation.
Today the region is making a name for itself again not only with watermelons, but also with industrial potato cultivation.
The manager of the Zhytomyr branch of FG “Adelaide”, Roman Gurnak, told MOST that for him working in Kherson region is a return to his roots, since before the full-scale invasion the farm operated in the village of Chulakivka in the Skadovsk district, which has been under Russian occupation for more than four years.
During the occupation the enterprise was forced to partially relocate to Zhytomyr region, where it continued operations on a smaller scale. However, as soon as the opportunity arose, the farmers returned south — with the clear goal of restoring the region’s traditional early potato growing.
“We grew up here. Our parents, our great-grandfathers. We’ve always wanted to return to our own; we felt drawn back. The soul rejoices when we see our native land. Our air, our nature,” — says Roman.
According to him, Kherson region has historically been a land of early potatoes, and it is this niche that the farm plans to restore.
For now, “Adelaide” is planting chip varieties — in particular “Karlena”, which is being grown for further processing on order from a PepsiCo plant in Mykolaiv region. Later they plan to plant the “VR808” variety.
At the moment the farmers are working on a trial 90 hectares, as the long break in operations in the south requires readjustment to the climate. However, there are already plans for the future — next year they want to expand the area to 400 hectares.
“We’ll see how it establishes, how it will be irrigated, how the potatoes will fare,” — says Roman Gurnak.
After the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, irrigation remains one of the key challenges for Kherson’s farmers.
Now the farmers use a nearby canal. Each season it is filled with water at the request of local agricultural producers, but Roman Gurnak says that “Adelaide” plans to build modern infrastructure: laying main pipelines, installing sprinkler machines and Fregat irrigation systems.
According to the farmer, part of the land is also set aside for experiments. In particular, on 13 hectares they plan to install sprinkler irrigation — stationary systems that evenly water the fields. They will also test drip irrigation to assess its effectiveness and impact on yields.
The farm’s revival has already given a boost to the local labor market. All employees are residents of the surrounding villages. Some of them were recruited with the support of local authorities.
Roman Gurnak recalls that at first people approached the work with caution due to uncertainty about booking, but later the situation changed.
“People saw that it all works, and they started asking to be hired themselves,” — he says.
Workers are officially registered and booked. During the harvest season they plan to additionally hire people to dig potatoes. The harvest will be collected with specialized harvesters, after which it will be sorted and sent for processing.
Unfortunately, even in fields far from the front, work for farmers on the right bank of the region is associated with danger. Fragments of rockets and shells left after shelling are still being found here.
“A piece of a rocket was pulled out of the field,” — says one of the workers.
Despite this, the machinery is working and people continue to do their jobs. Often they have to learn on the go — new tractor drivers master the equipment in a matter of days.
“He says that he already learned in two days… — Well yes, I did teach him a bit,” — joke the workers in the field.
In reality sowing takes place in tight timeframes — farmers try to use every window of good weather. Although the ground is still too wet in places, farmers are counting on a quick setup of irrigation.
Despite all the difficulties, the mood in the Adelaide team is optimistic. They are confident that this year Ukrainians will be able to try products grown on the revived fields of Kherson region.
“We are very happy that this year Ukrainians will be eating chips made from our Kherson potatoes,” — says Roman Gurnak.
