“The third national forum of farmers LOCAL UKRAINE 3.0 was held in Kyiv — an initiative that has already become a traditional platform for effective dialogue between local producers, retail and the state. The forum continued the mission started by Auchan in 2023 and offered new tools for training and financial support for producers. “LOCAL UKRAINE is about systemic development, training and scaling of Ukrainian”, — write on: ua.news
The third national forum of farmers LOCAL UKRAINE 3.0 was held in Kyiv — an initiative that has already become a traditional platform for effective dialogue between local producers, retail and the state. The forum continued the mission started by Auchan in 2023 and offered new tools for training and financial support for producers.
“LOCAL UKRAINE is about systematic development, training and scaling of Ukrainian producers. In order to develop the Ukrainian economy, we strive to create not only conditions for cooperation, but also real incentives for the growth of crafters. That is why, within the framework of LOCAL UKRAINE 3.0, we are launching a grant program for farmers: 100,000 hryvnias for a finalist and 50,000 hryvnias for a semi-finalist – this is support for those who contribute to the food independence of Ukraine,” said Auchan Ukraine CEO Marta Trush. In addition, she thanked the invited relevant ministries of Ukraine and the Embassy of France for reliable Franco-Ukrainian relations and their contribution to the reconstruction of the country.
“Sustainability is a very important priority for the EU, and since Ukraine is on the way to accession, it is valuable and relevant that the topic of business sustainability is raised at the forum. French business, in the form of Auchan, takes this step to meet small businesses and join forces with authorities and professionals for the longevity of business in all its dimensions.” – said Jean Lyanot, Adviser on Agriculture of the Embassy of France in Ukraine.
During the forum, a panel discussion was held with the participation of the government and business, which was moderated by the CEO of the Association of Retailers of Ukraine, Oksana Prykhodko. Taras Vysotskyi, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, outlined the purpose of the forum as follows: “The main idea of Local Ukraine is to initiate new partnerships and cooperation between retail chains and Ukrainian small producers in order to expand the presence of craft products on the shelves and create sustainable supply chains. It is extremely important to maximally integrate small producers of food products into the system of implementation of trade networks. This forum creates a space for synchronization, acquaintance and open dialogue, where producers can learn about the prerequisites and conditions for supplying craft products to trade networks.
Special attention was paid to veteran entrepreneurs. As Yulia Kirillova, Deputy Minister of Veteran Affairs, emphasized, it is important that Auchan supports this direction and at the same time works with small producers:
“Veterans returning from service to their communities are trying to create their own business – a small local business. Very often, they do not return to their previous jobs, but choose the path of entrepreneurship. That is why support from the retail side in the sale of their products is critically important today — both for the veterans themselves, and for the economy in general, and for the development and support of the national product. Auchan are our partners who have been supporting the “Created by defenders” project for many years. In fact, they joined this initiative from the very first year, and today Auchan’s shelves feature a large number of products produced by veteran entrepreneurs.”
Alla Kovalevska, commercial director of Auchan Ukraine, noted: “This is not the first year that we have been taking care of the sustainable development of producers, bringing them to the European level of standards – a responsible producer (Filierstvo project). Such a long-term commitment from both sides for a long-term and balanced partnership allows us to offer customers useful, tasty, healthy products with exemplary traceability. We plan to scale up training for small producers and future distributors and already announce very soon, a platform for the training of small producers, where all the materials that were jointly developed with relevant ministries and relevant associations will be freely available.
During the event, Auchan also announced financial support for TM “Vognyar” and TM “Famberry”, which lost warehouses and products due to enemy attacks.
In addition, Auchan presented an AI assistant — a chatbot based on artificial intelligence ( https://linktw.in/qzMIxQ ), which helps manufacturers quickly find answers to all questions about cooperation. It is enough to write: “I want on the Auchan shelf” – and the system will tell you where to start.
At the end of the forum, there will be a tasting of craft products, networking, the first negotiations between producers and retailers, as well as a presentation of Auchan’s own imported French wines and cheeses.
LOCAL UKRAINE 3.0 became a platform that combined practical knowledge, real cases and opportunities for the development of local producers, creating the basis for the sustainable growth of the Ukrainian food sector even in the conditions of a difficult economic situation.
If you were unable to attend the event, a recording of the broadcast is available at the link: https://www.youtube.com/live/GdbKVQfehxQ?si=b3oUpgpA5zgD3Np6
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