Kharkiv Dairy Plant continues to produce dairy products thanks to generator received from Government of Germany

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has supported to identify suitable recipients and distribute the generators among those producers that need assistance the most.

"We continue to actively support Ukrainian food producers by providing powerful generators, ensuring stable energy supply to essential facilities. This is critically important, especially for enterprises that are located on the front line and that support food security in the most vulnerable oblasts of the country," said Pierre Vauthier, head of the FAO office in Ukraine.

Kharkiv Dairy Plant LLC was founded in 1973 and has come a long way from the production of bottled products to dairy and fermented milk products. Since 2019, the plant has been operating under the new brand name Agromol.

"Before the war, the plant sold up to 100 tonnes of products per day, but now the volume has decreased, though we are actively working to reach the pre-war levels," said Oleh Denysov, Deputy Director of Kharkiv Dairy Plant LLC, TM Agromol. "We used to supply our products to the central oblasts of Ukraine, in particular to Zaporizka, Dnipropetrovska, Zhytomyrska oblasts, but now we distribute products exclusively to Kharkivska oblast."

Today, the plant is one of the largest enterprises in Kharkiv. The product range includes more than 100 types of dairy products – milk, kefir, sour cream, as well as dessert products, such as kefir with fruit fillings, sour cream sauces, etc.

As a result of the shellings, the factory sustained some damages, notably to its ceiling and windows. Due to the hostilities, there are constant power outages in the region, which significantly affect operations. Moreover, the substation that supplies power to the plant has been completely destroyed.

"Milk is a perishable product. When there is no electricity, the production stops, and then the product can only be disposed of due to the irreversible processes," added Oleh Denysov. "Thanks to FAO, we have received this powerful generator, which will ensure a stable supply of energy to the plant for as long as it is necessary, when there is no centralized power supply."

With the support of the Government of Germany, so far, 17 generators from 41 have been distributed among food producers in nine most war-affected oblasts of Ukraine to support bread and milk production.