Farmer from Kherson Region Restores Apricot Orchard After Occupation

The “RO-SAD” farm in the Kherson region has become the only industrial producer of apricots in the area. In 2024, the farmers harvested their first crop — 6 tons of apricots, and this season they plan to significantly increase the volume — up to 45 tons.

This is reported by AgroReview

Recovery After Occupation

The owner of the farm, Roman Lytvynenko, chose frost-resistant and self-pollinating varieties of apricots of foreign origin when planting the orchard, which were purchased from a nursery in Bakhmut, Donetsk region. To ensure quality irrigation, a drip irrigation system was installed, allowing each tree to receive the necessary moisture.

In 2019, Lytvynenko planted the first three thousand trees, which almost all took root successfully. This success encouraged him to expand the orchard, and by 2021, the area under apricots had grown to eight thousand trees.

Plans for the Future

However, in 2022, during the occupation, the farm suffered significant damage, and the Lytvynenko family was forced to leave the area. After the region was liberated, he returned to the destroyed orchard, where he found that many trees had been damaged by shrapnel and rodents. Recovery required demining the area, but fortunately, most of the plants were saved.

In the summer of 2024, the “RO-SAD” farm harvested again, and they now plan to sell the produce in Kyiv. Roman Lytvynenko intends to register his own trademark and establish contracts with retail chains. In the future, he also plans to increase production volumes, considering the possibility of drying the fruits and selling seedlings.