Today, despite a large number of private and municipal-owned wholesale markets, Ukraine lacks well organized wholesale and retail markets of fresh fruit and vegetables. Moreover, most of existing markets are seasonal and remain unlicensed. Producers use outdated technologies for storing and transporting fresh fruit and vegetables. Therefore, because of undeveloped market infrastructure Ukrainian producers are able to sell agriculture produces at neither domestic nor external markets (as the current Ukrainian food legislation does not comply with EU standards). Besides, average crop yields in Ukraine are still below average European yields; in so doing, yields vary across farms substantially. This may be explained by use of various growing technologies, on the one hand, and by different technological levels of the farms, on the other. In view of the above, Project activities in market infrastructure development aim primarily at facilitating trade in agriculture produce, in particularly, fresh fruit and vegetables, and improving yields.
Therefore, the Market Infrastructure Development Component of the EU-funded Project "Implementation of Ukraine's Commitments und WTO and ENP Frameworks in the Rural Sector (Sector-Wide Approach)" will accomplish the following tasks:
