Recently, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Matthias Schmale visited the Hemp Cluster in Sumy. The cluster unites six businesses ranging from those that grow hemp to enterprises that process it into food, textile, and insulation materials for construction. In 2022-2023, with funding from the Government of Germany Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) through KfW Development Bank, IOM provided two hemp textile enterprises with equipment and raw materials.

This year, through funding from the Ukraine Community Recovery Fund, IOM supported the whole cluster with a grant to cover the costs of enhancing hemp processing quality, purchasing additional equipment and fostering marketing and branding to capacitate export.

United Nations in Ukraine