Ukraine salad growers face rising costs and tighter margins
Source: VFD.com
Ukraine salad growers face rising costs and tighter margins Thanks! Hydroponic salad producer Galicia Greenery in the Lviv region decided to continue winter production despite operating at a loss.
The company said the winter of 2025/26 was the coldest in 10–12 years, increasing energy consumption by around 50%, while electricity prices were more than 50% higher than a year earlier. According to the producer, salads are consumed regularly by around 10% of Ukraine's population, with iceberg dominating the domestic market.
Energy represents 40–50% of greenhouse production costs and can account for up to 70% in older, less energy-efficient facilities. The company cannot easily switch to other crops because its hydroponic system was designed for salad production, whereas other vegetables would require more heat and light.
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
