The current state, problems and prospects for the development of the melon industry in Ukraine

Abstract

Purpose. To analyze the current state and problems of the melon industry and to make a short-term forecast of development in Ukraine. Methods. A set of general scientific methods and approaches of empirical and theoretical knowledge is applied: abstract-logical, systemic approach, statistical, monographic, graphic, complex analysis, generalization. The scientific and informational basis of the research was the works of domestic scientists and materials of the State Statistics Committee of Ukraine and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine. Results. The analysis of indicators of production of melon products in Ukraine in the pre-war period shows that in the last five years there has been a process of moving commodity production from the Southern region to the Central, Northern and Western regions. Thus, the cultivated area of melon crops in the Kherson region decreased from 28,000 ha (2011) to 22,500 ha (2021), or by 20%, and in the Poltava, Kirovohrad, Cherkasy and Dnipropetrovsk regions, on the contrary – increased by 3–5 times, Kyiv, Chernihiv – by 2 times. It was established that in 2021, 5 regions of Ukraine specialized in the cultivation of melon crops, and in 2023 – 7 regions. So, as of 2021, we have carried out the following grouping of regions of Ukraine for melon cultivation: Ktl > 1: Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Poltava, Cherkasy regions. Despite the fact that by 2023, the cultivated area of the crop has decreased by more than 2 times, the number of areas specializing in their cultivation has increased: Ktl > 1: Mykolaiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Kirovohrad, Cherkasy, Kharkiv regions. Conclusions. As long as hostilities continue in Ukraine, the domestic market of Ukraine will continue to be dominated by imported melons, and the increase in cultivated areas in other regions of Ukraine will not be able to overcome the shortage of these crops in the short term, which arose due to the catastrophic situation in the South and East of our country. For the stable production of products, the producers of the Central and Northern regions of Ukraine should adopt such strategies that will allow implementing zone-adapted solutions in the production of melon crops.