A real development project that will enable local residents to increase the value of the product they manufacture has been launched in the Pechenizhynska amalgamated hromada. On Sunday the “Faynyi” agricultural cooperative was officially opened here. The hromada invested UAH 1 million into it, won in the framework of the first season of the “Million-Hryvnia Hromada” Ukrainian reality show.

Presenting the cooperative, Ihor Dovirak, head of the Pechenizhynska AH, described on what one million had been spent.

“This is currently a small room with a raspberry chiller and a shock freezer, a storage facility for finished products. Residents of the hromada villages, in particular Markivka, Runhury, Pechenezhyn, and Molodyatin villages, have been growing raspberries in their farms for more than a year. The purpose of setting up a cooperative is to accumulate large commodity lots and sell them at a higher price, that is, to increase the added value of the same raspberry,” says Ihor Dovirak.

Everyone present at the official opening could also see a small batch of pre-packaged frozen raspberries, which can be purchased soon.

Kostyantyn Lapchynskyi, director of the cooperative, says that many people worked on the transformation of the premises and the surrounding area. These were both members of the cooperative and employees of the Pechenizhynska AH municipal enterprise. Currently, the cooperative brings together seven private farms. In future, they plan to increase their number.

Barry Reed, DOBRE Programme Manager, present at the opening, said he was truly impressed with the result.

“When I was here two years ago, I did not fully believe that this project could be completed. Winning a TV show is one thing, and pursuing an ambitious plan is another. I congratulate the Pechenizhynska hromada and all those who applied efforts. That’s really a good job,” he said.

In turn, Maksym Chopey, decentralisation adviser of the Ivano-Frankivsk Local Government Development Centre of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme, added that such a cooperative would give impetus to other AHs of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast for finding their niches and choosing start-specialisation based on their own resources.

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