USAID, through its Economic Resilience Activity (ERA), provided crucial grain logistics equipment to Ukrainian grain exporter Urochyshche Zhuravske, which helped prevent losses of around 20 percent in the harvest year 2024. The equipment included two 100 kW generators, a telescopic handler, bucket filler, trailer, and truck scales.

Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 severely disrupted Urochyshche Zhuravske’s operations, with port closures forcing rapid logistics pivots. The USAID-provided trailer helped solve logistical issues, bringing crops to ports without relying on rentals, saving time and enabling faster contract fulfillment. Power outages posed another significant obstacle, bringing activities to a halt, but the USAID-provided generators helped the company continue operations.

According to Igor Novytskyi, Technical Director of Urochyshche Zhuravske,

“During the wheat and rapeseed harvest season, when power outages lasted for days, the generators enabled us to process the crops on time, preventing losses of 15-20%. The generators allowed us to weigh, clean, and unload grain without interruptions.”

The truck scales provided by USAID doubled the efficiency of load processing, allowing two trucks to be weighed simultaneously, which is critical for meeting contract deadlines when speed is paramount. In addition, the USAID-provided telescopic handler with bucket fillers significantly streamlined big bag loading, accelerating goods prepared for transport and export. According to Urochyshche Zhuravske, they processed 3,400 tons of rapeseed in the fastest possible time, fulfilling export and domestic contracts.

Ultimately, thanks to the new equipment, Urochyshche Zhuravske was able to continue business and contribute to national food security during wartime.

Background

LLC “Urochyshche Zhuravske” in Cherkasy Oblast is an agricultural enterprise that has been cultivating approximately 6,000 hectares of land since 2009. The company specializes in growing grain and oilseed crops, including wheat, corn, soybeans, sunflower, and rapeseed. A team of over 90 employees manages both owned and leased lands.

Background: Assistance to agricultural producers and infrastructure companies is part of the Agriculture Resilience Initiative (AGRI) – Ukraine, implemented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It aims to help Ukraine increase its capacity to produce, store, transport, and export grain.

On December 11, the USAID Economic Resilience Activity’s (ERA) representatives attended the conference Doing Agribusiness in Ukraine, advancing Ukraine’s export capacity enhancement. DoAgro brings together senior business representatives, government policymakers and other industry stakeholders to promote and enhance agribusiness in Ukraine with presentations on topics such as expanding Ukrainian grain’s export potential, industry best practice, and investment needs and market opportunities.  

During the conference, ERA’s representative Tetiana Trympol, moderated a panel discussing challenges and new opportunities for agri-businesses in Ukraine. UCAB exporting members IMC, TAS Agro, AGROTRADE, Nibulon, Agro-Region,and Agrovista  shared their experiences over the last two years of doing business during the war.  

DoAgro is organized by ERA’s grantee, Ukrainian Agribusiness Club Association (UCAB). 

On November 11, USAID, through its Economic Resilience Activity (ERA), delivered a belt loader to Orlivka River Port through a grant, increasing export efficiency.   

With the new equipment, the time required to process a vessel will decrease from 72 hours to 60 hours for loading 6,000 tons of grain shipments. Additionally, the time needed to unload a single truck will drop from approximately 30–40 minutes to just 10–15 minutes. 

Vitalii Nikula, Director of River Port Orlivka, says,

“This equipment will help us offer competitive logistics and transshipment services on the Danube using modern equipment and robust machinery. It is essential to keep the port dynamic, increase cargo handling capacity, and stimulate the growth of exports from Ukraine.” 

Currently, the enterprise operates five belt loaders—two owned and three rented—and one wheel loader, running in four shifts around the clock. 

On December 3, USPA officially raised the Ukrainian flag on the second USAID-provided pilot boat, Lotsman Bolotin, symbolizing that the boat is now fully operational and ready to support seafaring operations on the Danube River. The boat will transport maritime pilots between land and inbound or outbound ships, improving logistical efficiency of cargo processing and exports. 

The new USAID-provided boat will replace the outdated pilot boat, Aldebaran, to transport maritime pilots 16% faster to arriving and departing export vessels, ultimately reducing delays, and increasing agricultural export turnover. The second pilot boat is named after Pilot Borys Bolotin (1940-2019), who dedicated his life to maritime shipping and served for over 46 years on the Danube with Delta Lotsman. 

Background: Assistance to agricultural producers and infrastructure companies is part of the Agriculture Resilience Initiative (AGRI) – Ukraine, implemented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It aims to help Ukraine increase its capacity to produce, store, transport, and export grain.

On November 27, the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club Association (UCAB), together with the USAID Economic Resilience Activity (ERA), and with the support of the Directorate for Vocational Education of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, held a roundtable discussion to help advance the deployment of modern vehicle driving trainer simulator solutions in Ukraine using a USAID-funded grant.  

Over 130 representatives from agricultural and logistics companies, as well as vocational education leaders and instructors explored opportunities on how these technologies are deployed internationally, help enhance the quality and consistency of training deliver, best serve the competency needs of private sector employers, and encourage inclusivity. 

UCAB will select five vocational institutions for USAID ERA to procure modern simulators to train drivers and operators for agri-logistics machinery. The training simulators will cover logistics operations on equipment such as telescopic handlers, front-end loaders, trucks, tractors, combines, and potentially port cranes. This equipment will help students operate various machinery, record training outcomes, and allow instructors to review and analyze performance. 

Also included are ten business trips to agribusinesses, five training sessions for the selected institutions’ representatives, and a final event – UCAB Agro-Technology Day 2025 for 60 participants. 

The year-long grant, launched in October 2024, aims to enhance the export potential of agri-logistics companies, and increase exports. The planned grant activities include attending international conferences, business trips, partnership building, and support for vocational education institutions.  

Contact Information for UCAB:
Alla Kravchenko, Expert on Academic Cooperation and Training Development 

Phone: +38 097 0304533  

Email: kravchenko@ucab.ua 

The Odesa Regional Phytosanitary Laboratory modernizes while still providing essential services to agricultural exporters as operations return to the big Odesa ports. The laboratory analyzes grain crops using cutting-edge molecular diagnostics equipment and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods for plant disease detection. USAID, through it’s Economic Resilience Activity (ERA), supplied the laboratory with equipment and consumables.

The laboratory processes up to 30 samples daily for various tests. In 2024 alone, its specialists analyzed over 24,000 samples and conducted more than 80,000 tests. While this is slightly less than in previous years (over 27,000 samples in 2023 and more than 29,000 in 2022), modernization increased the quality and speed of analyses.

PCR testing equipment allows for real-time plant pathogen detection, reducing the time needed to issue phytosanitary certificates required for export to ensure the timely delivery of agricultural products to global markets. While undergoing the accreditation process, the lab has begun conducting potato analyses using PCR testing.

Acting Director of the Odesa Phytosanitary Laboratory, Kateryna Abuselidze, shared,
“Previously, analyzing potatoes could take up to seven days. Thanks to the equipment provided by USAID ERA, the process is now three times faster. This allows our clients to obtain results quickly, ensuring their agricultural products continue their journey to countries waiting for them. It’s inspiring that, even during wartime, Ukraine continues to feed the world and deliver grain to global markets.”

In April 2024, a remote workstation opened at Reni Port. USAID ERA provided a full set of equipment, consumables, and PCR tests. During the beginning of the war, specialists in Reni conducted about 15% of all tests. However, as exports returned to Odesa, this figure dropped to 2-4%. Still, the Reni branch remains essential, enabling quick sample processing and minimizing logistical costs for clients.

While technological advancements have increased efficiency, they have also raised the cost of analyses. For example, a PCR test for a potato sample now costs $60, compared to $35 using the older method. This price difference reflects the high accuracy of modern methods, which clients are willing to pay for, given the quality assurance.

USAID ERA supported 10 of 25 phytosanitary laboratories in all of Ukraine, providing consumables for daily testing.