Agriculture / WORLD

Ukraine deposits 773 seed samples at Svalbard vault

Norway's agriculture ministry says Ukraine deposited 773 seed samples in the October 2026 deposit. Twenty other genebanks added more than 16,000 samples combined.

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Ukraine deposited 773 seed samples in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault during an October 2026 deposit. Norway's Ministry of Agriculture and Food said in an Oct. 14 account that it was Ukraine's first deposit there since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022.

Twenty other genebanks from four continents sent more than 16,000 samples combined. The ministry says Ukraine's national genebank holds more than 150,000 samples, according to FAO, and that buildings and infrastructure in Kharkiv were damaged during the war. The Svalbard vault holds more than 1.4 million samples from over 130 genebanks; that is the vault's full existing collection, not the October deposit total.

Data

Timeline

October 2026 seed deposit

Sample counts reported in Norway's ministry account of the October deposit, published October 14.

  1. · Occurred

    Deposit reported

    The ministry reported 773 Ukrainian samples and more than 16,000 samples from other genebanks.

Methodology

Ukraine's 773 samples are distinct from the more than 16,000 samples contributed by the other 20 genebanks. The over-1.4-million figure is the vault's entire current holdings.

Updated:

Key figures

Source-reported indicators

Sample counts reported in Norway's ministry account of the October deposit, published October 14.

Ukrainian seed samples deposited at Svalbard in October
773 count
2026-10 · Observed
Methodology

Values retain the source basis. Annual feed figures are 2025 sector estimates; the October seed count uses the deposit period. Other dates identify report publication, not experiment day. Laboratory oil-holding capacity is not nutritional fat content; counts do not establish production or scale-up success.

Updated:

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  • Norway · Place role: Coverage · Place type: Country or area · Location precision: Regional
    Evidence
Taxonomy version: IPTC Media Topics 2026-Q2

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