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Poltava, Ukraine horse breeding farm for sale in government privatization drive

August 26th, 2015
Dibrivsky horse breeding farm

Dibrivsky horse breeding farm

The government of Ukraine are privatizing all sorts of things. Among stuff to be sold off in the privatization is over 1,000 horses. This story was found on BBC, except from part of the original story that concerns horses follows:

And not all who will feel the effects will be humans. Also listed on the government’s balance sheet are more than 1,000 horses, which are being kept on 11 state-owned horse breeding farms across the country.

One of these is the Dibrivsky horse breeding farm, located a two-hour drive to the east of Kiev in the Poltava region. It was founded in 1888 but now, because of its possible sale, faces an uncertain future.

The farm is home to around 270 horses, mostly of two breeds: Orlovsky Trotters and Russian Trotters, both racing horses.

On a recent warm, crackling-dry August day, the beauty of these animals and the idyllic setting of the farm were on full display. About 90 of them, including a number of wary colts, were gathered in a corral, drinking water.

In a nearby field, jockeys took a couple of horses out for a run, while an equestrian class practised trotting and taking jumps. All around were the green, rippling fields of the Ukrainian countryside.
Demand challenges

But for all Dibrivsky’s romantic charm, many ask – why should the Ukrainian government be in the horse-breeding business?

And if it does put the farm up for auction, then another question arises:

Who would buy it or any of the other farms, or the other companies on the government’s list for that matter – given the country is currently suffering a major economic depression and is struggling against a Russian-backed insurgency in the east?

Government officials accept that the Dibrivsky sale might face challenges.

“I suppose it would not be easy,” says Oleksii Zubrytsky, an adviser to Ukraine’s economics minister. “First of all we have a lot of private farms, which are quite successful.”

“But the main problem is the demand,” he adds. “In order to sell horses, we need to create a demand. And due to the crisis in the country, this demand is not so good.”

Equine activities in fact only constitute a small part of the horse breeding farm’s activities. Dibrivsky raises pigs and cows, and also produces honey and fermented mare’s milk, which is a local delicacy.

Most of its money comes not from its horses, but from its 5,500 hectares of surrounding farmland, where it grows wheat, soya and oats. The situation is mirrored among the other horse farms in the government’s possession.

you can read the full story here: bbc.co.uk/news/business-34055256

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