Ukrainian farmers choose sage.

Whether sage has prospects in Ukraine, farmers, scientists and pharmaceutical companies discussed together at the conference “Herbal Business 2018”. At the moment, it has been lost, but there was no happiness; global warming has helped.

Before, sage did not take root well in the lands of even such sunny regions as Nikolaev and Odessa. But over the past 20 years in the southern regions it has become hot - too much for traditional cultures and enough for exotic ones, including sage.

During this period, the temperature increased by 0.8 ° C, and the climatic zones shifted from south to north by 250 km, says Mikhail Fedorchuk, doctor of agricultural sciences of Nikolaev National Agrarian University. The specialist is sure that in the coastal regions of Ukraine it is already possible to grow the cultures of Turkey, Italy, Georgia and the countries of Central Asia.

Mini-kiwi - actinidia has already taken root in the Odessa region, and olives in the Kherson region. Favorable conditions have formed for sage. “The climate is no longer a problem, only weeds. Since the region is arid, sage is best sown in late autumn, ”recommends Fedorchuk.

Now sage in Ukraine is a scarce culture, it will remain in short supply in 2019. The purchase price for raw materials is 50 UAH / kg. The plant is in high demand among pharmaceutical companies, landscape designers and, in fact, the farmers themselves, who use it in the fight against pests and fungi. Sage is a powerful insecticide and fungicide. Three to four plants are able to protect one tree from pests, the need for garden processing is reduced by 10 times. Cereals are protected from root rot for three years if sown in the ground where sage used to grow.