On August, 16 2018 in Verkhnodniprovsk on the territory of the ASTRA GROUP Company a working meeting was held at which the prospects of refrigerating cluster creation in Dnipropetrovsk region were discussed.  The initiator of this project will be the ASTRA GROUP Company, which has a lot of experience in this area.

The event was also attended by Volodymyr Tuirin, Deputy Chairman of the Regional Council, Leonid Kalinichenko, Mayor of Verkhnodniprovsk, Valentyna Zatyshniak, DIA Director and Volodymyr Taraban, ASTRA GROUP CEO.

In the framework of determining the priority areas of investment, DIA conducted a marketing analysis of the industrial sector of region and Ukraine’s economy. Among the niches for investment in the engineering industry are identified compressors, ventilation and refrigeration equipment.

The relevant findings were supported by the specialized company ASTRA GROUP, which invited DIA to its production.

«The agrarians of Dnipropetrovsk region have pointed out the necessity of refrigeration equipment for storing the vegetables, fruits and berries harvest. Therefore, the initiative and opportunities of ASTRA GROUP Company are very helpful in this situation. In addition, the production of frozen food is a fairly profitable occupation. The manufacturers gradually transfer it from the status of the seasonal to the main business. The last 2 years in Ukraine there has been an increase in the yield of fruits and berries, and this trend will continue. Due to the fact that most manufacturers simply do not know where to put the harvest surplus in warehouses, their cost is reduced, so every farmer tries to sell them until the fruit is spoiled. This facilitates the processors, who, because of the raw materials cheapness, will not lose in the final cost», – Valentyna Zatyshniak said.

«The creation of a refrigeration cluster in the region will not only solve the problem of preserving fruits, but also open a huge potential for the exit of our products, both to the domestic and foreign markets. After all, the market of frozen fruits and vegetables in Ukraine is still an open niche, but in the long term it can become one of the most profitable segments among processing products», – Volodymyr Tuirin said.

During the meeting, an agreement was reached to start work on the refrigeration cluster creation, which envisaged the creation of profile enterprises, new jobs and investments in the production of products that are now imported.

We hope that in the future such a cooperation of farmers and manufacturers of refrigeration equipment will not only be mutually beneficial, but also bring certain results in favor of Dnipropetrovsk region’s sustainable development.