Every year, Ukraine imports potato starch from abroad in volumes equal to 100% of domestic needs. Bakeries, meat processing enterprises, sauce manufacturers — all pay foreign suppliers for a product whose raw materials grow in fields just kilometers away from factories. A similar situation exists with French fries: Ukraine spends over a billion hryvnias annually on their import, even though it grows enough potatoes for its own needs.
What is being built and when it will launch
Construction has begun at the "Biosens" industrial park near Cherkasy on Ukraine's largest potato processing plant. The initiative comes from Field Group company. The first phase involves potato starch production, with investment volume of 960 million hryvnias. The launch of the first production line is scheduled for 2026.
Then comes deeper processing. In 2027, on the same site, they plan to launch French fries production with a capacity of up to 60,000 tons per year. Essentially, the enterprise is being built as a cluster: first — a basic product with minimal sales risks, then — a more complex product with higher margins.
Logic of the raw material chain
The plant does not rely solely on its own cultivation. According to project representatives, the model is mixed: some potatoes will be grown independently, the rest will be purchased from farmers within a radius of approximately 150 km, primarily along the Dnipro River. Cherkasy region is one of Ukraine's traditional potato-growing regions, and the supply geography reflects this.
Technical support to the industrial park is provided by an international UNIDO team within the Global Eco-Industrial Parks Project. The state has also gotten involved: "Biosens" received state incentives of 24.73 million hryvnias, as well as funding for road junction construction and gas supply networks in 2025.
Why processing hasn't existed until now
The problem is not a shortage of raw materials. Under normal conditions, Ukraine grows enough potatoes — but lacks professional storage facilities and processing capacity. Due to power outages, even preserving the harvested crop until the next season becomes a separate challenge. Without a cold chain and stable energy supply, industrial potato processing in Ukraine has remained unprofitable until recently.
"Ukraine currently imports 100% of its potato starch needs. This product is imported from abroad for use in the baking, confectionery, meat processing industries, as well as in sauce production and instant food mixes."
Dmytro Kysilevskyi, Deputy Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development
The "Biosens" plant is the first genuine attempt to close this gap through industrial means, rather than through small-scale processors. If the first phase truly launches in 2026, Ukraine will for the first time obtain its own potato starch in industrial volumes.
The question remains: whether the project can withstand the condition of stable energy supply — without which neither storage nor processing lines operate normally, and a 960 million hryvnias investment turns into an expensive warehouse.
