Ukraine Deposits Seed Samples In Svalbard Global Seed Vault

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine announced this, Ukrinform reports.

“Preserving our national plant gene pool is a matter of national security and ensuring food stability for future generations. With Russia's war against Ukraine, Ukrainian agricultural science and strategic resources have come under direct threat. Depositing a duplicate collection in the Global Seed Vault on Svalbard guarantees that the unique achievements of Ukrainian plant breeders will be securely protected against any security risks,” said Taras Vysotskyi, Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food.

In total, 773 seed samples representing 10 agricultural crops have been deposited in the Arctic vault: triticale, barley, buckwheat, millet, peas, white lupin, common vetch, brown mustard, alfalfa and clover. This is Ukraine's second deposit of genetic material in Svalbard and the first since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

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As reported, Ukraine joined the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in August 2026.

Ukraine's National Plant Gene Bank is among the world's ten largest, holding a unique collection of more than 154,300 samples representing 2,002 plant species, nearly 57,000 of which are of exclusively Ukrainian origin. Because the bank's infrastructure has been damaged by the war, international partners – the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the European Commission, NordGen and the Crop Trust – established a special backup center for the long-term preservation of duplicate Ukrainian seed samples in November 2025.

Photo: Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine

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