Ukraine's snail farmers fear collapse over EU lockdowns

Photos

Login / Sign Up

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Gold / Forex

Photos News

Ukraine's snail farmers fear collapse over EU lockdowns

Most snail farmers in Ukraine rely heavily on sales to restaurants in Europe

Published: July 26, 2020 15:14 AFP

1 of 12

Ukraine's snail farmers — Voynivka, Ukraine: When the first snail farm in Ukraine opened five years ago, local villagers couldn't hide their curiosity. Residents of Voynivka south of the capital Kiev would peek over the fence of the old dairy farm where manager Yulia Koretska kept the snails to ask if people really ate them. Image Credit: AFP

2 of 12

Ukraine's snail farmers — Ex-Soviet Ukraine's budding snail industry now boasts some 400 farms which have found eager buyers in European countries like Italy and Spain. Image Credit: AFP

3 of 12

Ukraine's snail farmers — But sweeping coronavirus restrictions that plunged the global food service industry into an unprecedented crisis have threatened to wipe out the fledgling farms in one of Europe's poorest countries. Image Credit: AFP

4 of 12

Ukraine's snail farmers — Most snail farmers in Ukraine - where the delicacy has yet to catch on - rely heavily on sales to restaurants in Europe where economies are still struggling to recover to pre-pandemic levels after months-long lockdowns. Image Credit: AFP

5 of 12

Ukraine's snail farmers — Yuliya Nastasivna, director of Ravlykova Khata farm in the Zhytomyr region west of Kiev, has also struggled to shift stock. She concedes that domestic sales will probably not make up for losses from Europe, since snails are too expensive for most Ukrainians and are still a culinary curiosity. Image Credit: AFP

6 of 12

Ukraine's snail farmers — Before the pandemic, Ukraine's snail industry was booming. Producers last year delivered nearly 250 tonnes to Europe - up from just 93 in 2018 - according to data from Ukraine's consumer watchdog. Image Credit: AFP

7 of 12

Ukraine's snail farmers — Ukraine's snails are in such high demand because they are cheap and of good quality, says Nastasivna. The exports include garden sails - which Nastasivna prefers and wild snails that she says "smell of soil". Image Credit: AFP

8 of 12

Ukraine's snail farmers — The country's main competitor, Poland, has the added advantage of being part of the EU, she said, and Ukrainian farmers are working to woo European clients by undercutting prices by around 10 percent. Image Credit: AFP

9 of 12

Ukraine's snail farmers — The strategy saw her secure sales in France for the first time this year and before the pandemic she was in talks with buyers in Italy. Danileyko and his business partner meanwhile was negotiating with Asian markets and developing snail-based products, like spreads and frozen products. Image Credit: AFP

10 of 12

Ukraine's snail farmers — Despite their popularity abroad, Ukrainian snails have yet to find favour at home where they are prohibitively expensive and too peculiar for most restaurant goers. Image Credit: AFP

11 of 12

Ukraine's snail farmers — But Anna Miller, manager the of Tres Francais restaurant in central Kiev, says her clients are venturing from their gastronomic comfort zones and snails are becoming more popular. "If you compare to eight years ago, then, of course, snails have become more familiar to our guests," she says. Image Credit: AFP

12 of 12

Ukraine's snail farmers — Clients taste snails at a restaurant in Kiev. Image Credit: AFP

Latest In

This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you. Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy.