The Ministry of Agrarian Policy predicted the situation for the current year

The Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Solsky responded during a press conference at the Ukraine Media Center and shared his thoughts on what awaits the agricultural sector in 2023 and its prospects. According to the Minister, one of the most acute problems for farmers at the moment is the minimal liquidity of agricultural products. Low price for grain for Ukrainian farmers and expensive logistics. Also, a change in the structure of sown areas is expected next year. According to the head of the Ministry, due to weather conditions, shelling and problems with electricity, many farmers will switch to other crops, in particular, to sunflower and soybeans.

Mykola Solskyi also assured that in 2023 the Ministry of Agrarian Policy will continue the course of deregulation, land reclamation reform, development of processing, support of farmers, international cooperation and European integration. In addition, he spoke about the expected support programs for farmers for the next year. According to him, the Government will continue simplified lending under the «5-7-9» program. The program of non-refundable grants for the creation of gardens and greenhouses will also be continued. Cooperation will continue with international organizations - USAID and FAO, which implement support programs for farmers.

Summarizing the results of 2022, the Minister outlined the main results of work in the areas of deregulation, support of the agricultural sector, agro-logistics, European integration, reclamation and development of fisheries. According to him, at the beginning of spring 2022, the Government promptly responded to the urgent need of farmers for preferential lending. The state provided guarantees in the amount of 80% for the loan within the limits of «5-7-9», and allowed to include grain as collateral. Under this program, farmers attracted about 40 billion hryvnias. In general, for 2022, farmers received loans for a total amount of more than UAH 90 billion. 50 million euros from the EU were provided in the form of subsidies and subsidies for the cultivation of 1 to 120 hectares of agricultural land per year and for the maintenance of 3 to 100 cows.

Mykola Solsky also said that the opening of the land market made it possible to intensify the development of horticulture. After all, the owner is interested in investing funds in his own land.

Last year, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy together with partners - FAO and USAID - ensured the distribution of sleeves for the temporary storage of grain with a capacity of about 8 million tons, as well as the equipment necessary for loading and unloading grain. Thanks to this, there is currently no problem with crop storage. In addition, international partners helped Ukrainian farmers with seed material, in particular with buckwheat and other crops.

The minister emphasized that all state and international aid is distributed exclusively through the DAR platform, launched in the summer of 2022.

As for agro-logistics, there are several important results in this area. In particular, in June, the European Commission abolished tariffs and restrictions on the import of products to Europe for a year.

The minister noted that the European side is ready to discuss further cooperation. According to him, a clear understanding of the quota rules for a long period will allow Ukrainian manufacturers to get clear coordinates in which areas and how to develop.

The next positive result, according to the Minister, is the grain agreement with Turkey and the UN. It allowed almost 16 million tons of grain to be exported from August to December.

Also, despite the war, a lot of attention was paid to land reclamation and the development of fish farming last year. The fishing industry is moving into a digital industry - all key procedures have been completely transferred to the format of electronic auctions through the Prozorro system since the new year. As the Minister explained, two important changes should take place in the field of hydraulic melioration. The first is that reclamation facilities should be transferred to the management of water user organizations. The second is a reform that concerns the management of state reclamation systems and trunk canals.