THE CREATION OF INDUSTRIAL PARKS AS AN ACTIVE COMPONENT OF THE RESTORATION OF VINEYARDS IN THE KHERSON REGION AND PLANS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A MODERN WINE PRODUCTION FACTORY

On November 7, 2025, Mykhailo Zhadan, Chairman of the Kherson District State (Military) Administration, and Volodymyr Makukha, Chairman of the Board of the Baltic-Black Sea Economic Forum, held a meeting of the working group to prepare for the implementation of the concept for creating an industrial park in the communities of the Kherson district in the post-war period.

In addition to the permanent members of the working group, the meeting was attended by:

- Mykhailo Linetskyi, First Deputy Head of the Kherson City Military Administration;

- Valentyna Pokotylova, Chairperson of the Kherson District Council;

- Ihor Ostrivnyi, Head of the Bilozerka Village Military Administration;

- Lauro Giovannini, CEO of CEVICO (Italy);

- Georgiy Kikabidze, Representative of CEVICO (Italy) for the South Caucasus and Ukraine;

- Lasha Kldiashvili, Ukraine-Georgia Project Manager, Baltic-Black Sea Economic Forum;

- Mykola Khalupenko, Director of the Kurin Agricultural Farm;

- Marharyta Stepanova, Department Head, Institute of Climate-Sensitive Agriculture, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Given that the Kherson region is predominantly agricultural, emphasis was placed on the importance of utilizing the potential expected from enterprises located in industrial parks to restore the region's agricultural sector.

During the working group meeting, the situation with viticulture was discussed. Relying on the region's existing soils and unique natural conditions, viticulture has contributed to the development of winemaking here since at least the 19th century. Currently, as a result of Russian military aggression, the vineyards of the Kherson region have been almost completely destroyed.

Lauro Giovannini, an Italian viticulture and winemaking expert, drawing on his over 30 years of management experience at CEVICO, one of the industry leaders in Italy, noted that vineyard restoration plans must be developed in close coordination with the restoration of winemaking. Only by considering them as a unified whole within the overall restoration and development process, by developing a unified chain from grape cultivation, processing into high-quality wines, and supplying them to consumers, can one be confident of the overall success of the process.

Signor Lauro, emphasizing Italy's and his own sincere support for Ukraine, and his confidence in the end of the war in Ukraine's favor and the advent of sustainable peace, assured of his readiness to stand by and provide all necessary assistance for the successful implementation of the vineyard restoration project in the Kherson region, as well as the design and construction of a modern plant to produce a marketing model for its implementation in various countries.

An equally important segment emphasized the need to organize close cooperation with relevant scientific institutions. Marharyta Stepanova, a representative of the official partner of the industrial park project, the Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture, emphasized the importance of taking into account changing climate conditions and the negative consequences of the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station by Russian occupation forces.

The fact that industrial park projects in the Kherson region, with the timely preparation and development of individual enterprise projects for them, are one of the most effective mechanisms for restoring the devastated economy of the Kherson region, is undoubtedly and fully supported by the parliamentary corps, noted Valentyna Pokotylova, Chairperson of the Kherson District Council.

At the end of the working group meeting, a protocol of intent was ceremoniously signed between GKS UA LLC (CEO Viktor Popov) and SFG Kurin (Director Mykola Khalupenko) to join forces to restore the vineyards of the Kherson region and jointly implement wine production plans.