Ihor Hryhoryshyn from the village of Khonkivtsi in Vinnytsia region is known not only as a good host, but also as an entrepreneur who is not afraid to take risks and expand his horizons. For almost 10 years in agribusiness, the man has grown tons of wheat, corn, and sunflower. This year he decided to try a new direction - growing pumpkins for seeds. However, he lacked a dryer for full production.
In search of a solution, Igor applied to participate in the "Do Your Business" business idea competition, which is held annually by the MHP-Hromada Charitable Foundation to support active and enterprising Ukrainians.
"When I found out about the opportunity to participate in the business idea competition organized by MHP-Hromada, I immediately decided to try my hand at it," says entrepreneur Ihor Hryhoryshyn.
The entrepreneurial farmer's business idea was successful, and he received UAH 100 thousand to develop his business. With these funds, Mr. managed to equip a modern dryer that can dry about a ton of ready-made seeds in 10 hours, allowing the farmer to work efficiently and take steps toward success.
"Participation in the competition gave me the opportunity not only to work at full capacity, but also to fulfill a long-held dream. After all, the niche of growing pumpkins for seeds in our region has not been filled. In addition, there is an opportunity to create additional jobs. This year, I temporarily hired two employees," says Ihor Hryhoryshyn.
This season, despite unfavorable weather conditions, the farmer managed to dry more than 8 tons of pumpkin seeds. He doesn't process pumpkins at the moment, so he gives them away to his fellow villagers who have their own farms to save them. The entrepreneur has already arranged for the wholesale sale of seeds and is actively planning the next sowing season. In addition, Ihor dreams of expanding his production and starting to produce pumpkin seed oil. Igor Grigoryshyn's experience is one of the brightest examples of how, with the support of the MHP-Community Foundation, one can develop their own business and make a significant contribution to the well-being of their community.
According to Oleksandr Pakholyuk, Director of the MHP-Community Charitable Foundation, supporting small businesses in communities is an important step towards making villages and small towns in Ukraine self-sufficient and forming their own successful business community.
"The emergence of new jobs, as well as examples of successful entrepreneurship, change the approach to local resources and open up new prospects for community development. There is no need to go to big cities in search of work - there are always opportunities at home, in your community," explains Oleksandr Pakholyuk.
This year, out of 616 applications from 15 regions of Ukraine, independent experts of the "Do Your Business" business idea competition selected 80. About UAH 10 million was allocated for the implementation of all projects. The amount of one grant is up to UAH 100 thousand.