The Ukrainian range of vegetables is being supplemented by more and more niche products, including sweet potatoes. Farmers are trying to acclimatize it in Ukraine, but the special conditions of post-harvest processing make it too expensive. For example, a company from Odessa region refused to grow this crop.
This was reported by NV media with reference to the magazine "Planter".
Last year, Bonelet LLC experimented with growing this vegetable. The varieties "Ginseng," "Kyiv Orange," and "Los Angeles" were tested on an area of 1,000 hectares. However, the special conditions required for "healing" the fruits require additional investments, which are not profitable for farmers.
Unlike traditional vegetable crops in Ukraine, sweet potatoes require high energy costs to maintain the required temperature of 28 °C and high humidity. This refers to the curing period, which lasts about a week after harvesting. It is in this atmosphere that the vegetable "heals" minor damage and becomes sweeter, and its shelf life increases.
To achieve this, farmers have to build special storage facilities and purchase equipment. Despite global warming, the Ukrainian climate is still unable to provide the natural conditions for this crop. It should be noted that the plant is native to the hot tropics of America.
Earlier, EcoPolitic reported that in Ukraine, miscanthus has begun to be cultivated on a large scale – a herbaceous plant that can replace certain types of fuel.
Also, in our latitudes, breeders have acclimatized the fruiting asimina, which is also called the “banana of the north”.
