🇺🇦🇳🇱 Organic Initiative Public Association, with the support of SIPPO Ukraine, conducted a trade mission to the Netherlands aimed at strengthening the export of Ukrainian organic products to the Netherlands and the wider European market.
As part of the programme, meetings were held with around 10 importers in the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as with organisations involved in procurement, certification, legal aspects, and logistics of organic imports.
Among them were: Port of Rotterdam, Organic Development Finance (ODF), Origin & Amsterdam, Daarnhouwer & Co. B.V., Agracom, Korpershoek BV, BioCore, Bakker Seeds, HERBA INGREDIENTS BELGIUM B, NATURE BIO FOODS, GreenFoods50, QAssurance, Skal Biocontrole. The Ukrainian delegation included the Organic Initiative team, as well as the companies UkrBioLand and ProOrganica.
🔎 Key takeaways from the mission for Ukrainian organic exporters:
1️⃣ Face-to-face meetings are highly effective
Trade missions create the foundation for long-term business relationships. Participating companies received concrete enquiries and product specifications immediately after the meetings.
2️⃣ EU requirements for quality, food safety, and organic control are stringent
EU legislation undergoes around 400 updates annually related to food safety and quality requirements. Control over organic products continues to tighten, with no exemptions or special treatment, including for Ukraine despite the challenges of wartime conditions.
3️⃣ Competition is increasing
To maintain Ukraine’s position among the top five exporters of organic products to the EU, companies must consistently deliver high quality and reliable supply performance. The market rewards only proven results.
4️⃣ Organic Development Fund as an important financial instrument
The Fund offers pre-financing to sellers through buyers, which can significantly support Ukrainian exporters. We recommend exporters explore this mechanism in greater detail.
5️⃣ Growing EU demand for protein crops
Particular interest is being shown in various types of legumes, making this a promising direction for Ukrainian producers.
6️⃣ Ukraine has strong competitive advantages
The European origin of raw materials and geographical proximity to the EU are strong arguments in favour of Ukrainian suppliers. While logistics remain a challenge during the war, these advantages will become even more pronounced once the situation stabilises.
7️⃣ Trust in Ukraine is growing
Many companies we met are already working with Ukrainian organic suppliers and plan to expand their cooperation further.
We sincerely thank SIPPO Ukraine and ProFound for the well-structured programme, valuable insights, and opportunities to foster new partnerships between Ukraine and the Netherlands in the organic sector.
The trade mission was organised by Organic Initiative Public Association with the support of Switzerland, within the framework of the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO Ukraine), implemented by the Swisscontact Foundation for Technical Cooperation.
