The company "Chumak" (part of Wilmar International group) has decided to halt the construction of a new tomato processing plant in the Odessa region.

This is reported by LIGA.net.

"Currently, the project is on hold due to macroeconomic risks and security issues," – stated Alexander Boyko, the operational director of "Chumak".

The company's main asset in Kherson region has been under temporary occupation since the beginning of the large-scale invasion. In 2023, "Chumak" announced plans to build a new processing plant in Odessa. However, in April 2024, the Russian rockets destroyed the "Delta Wilmar Ukraine" oil terminal.

After losing its production capacity in Kherson, the company had to change its operational model. According to Boyko, initially "Chumak" imported tomato paste in triangular tubes from Italy, and by 2025, it plans to engage a Ukrainian partner for its production.

Reminder: It was previously reported that with the onset of the large-scale invasion, Ukrainian farmers lost the tomato processing industry, and its restoration has not yet begun. The production of tomato paste and ketchup was mainly located in southern Ukraine. Today, these facilities are either destroyed or occupied. It was also reported that due to the constant high consumption of vegetables in Ukraine and relatively low production, the country has to import an inadequate amount of vegetables from abroad. Furthermore, the total deficit of storage space for vegetables in Ukraine exceeds 1.1 million tons. Due to the war, over 281 thousand tons of simultaneous storage capacity have been lost. Currently, 35% of the vegetable harvest does not reach consumers simply due to the lack of proper storage conditions.