Dubnomoloko Dairy, which makes cheese under the KOMO trademark, produces about 1,350 tons of cheese per month. It uses top-notch modern French equipment and fermentation to make the cheesе.
About 60 percent of it goes to Russia and about 10 percent to other former Soviet republics.
Earlier this year, Russia banned imports from seven Ukrainian cheese makers, including the above mentioned one, citing low quality, a move that could cost the country millions of dollars.Political analysts say the standoff could be designed to pressure Ukraine into joining a Moscow-led Customs Union of former Soviet republics and discourage it from a free trade agreement with the European Union.
Up to 85 percent of Ukraine’s exported cheese is shipped to Russia.
The ban means that Ukraine may lose up to $300 million in income, or 60-70 percent of the annual revenue from cheese exports, said Tetyana Telezhko, an analyst from Dragon Capital.
(Photos by Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
