Ukraine returning to International Organization of Vine and Wine - ministry

MOSCOW. Oct 28 (Interfax) - Ukraine will return to the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), of which it was a member in 1997-2008. The respective announcement will be made at the organization's annual meeting in Ensenada, Mexico.

The Ukrsadvinprom civil union will be representing Ukraine in the organization, and its head Vladimir Pechko will be designated as the ministry's official representative to the OIV, the Ukrainian media said with the reference to the website of the Ukrainian Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food.

"Permanent membership in the OIV will allow Ukrainian wine industry specialists to participate more actively in the work of experts, subcommittees and commissions of the organization aimed to draft regulatory documentation, and will promote the use of official standards and rules in the international trade in wines and wine materials," the ministry said.

According to the ministry, the total area of vine plantations in Ukraine for all categories of farms amounted to 34,000 hectares, while the gross grape harvest stood at 257,500 tonnes as of February 1, 2022.

In total, there are 144 wineries in Ukraine (of which 29 are small producers of wine products).

The OIV was founded in 2001 as a successor to the International Bureau of Vine and Wine, established in 1924. The OIV aims at protecting the interests of the wine industry, creating favorable market conditions, harmonizing methods of analysis, and combating fraud and unfair competition in the market. Ukraine became the 49th member of the OIV.