he progress of harvesting, storage and exports of agricultural products, as well as preparations for sowing winter crops for the 2023 harvest, were among the issues raised by the Government’s team during a conference call with heads of regions chaired by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
The Head of Government conveyed his words of gratitude to the farmers who demonstrate heroism and harvest crops, especially in the areas under the shelling and those having mined fields.
“Despite all the troubles, the harvest continues. According to the information provided by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, during the harvest period, crop harvesting was carried out on an area of 3.5 million hectares, in fact, 12 million tons of grain of the new crop were collected,” said Denys Shmyhal.
The Prime Minister emphasized that thanks to the coordinated work of the state and with the leadership of the President of Ukraine, the work of Odesa seaports had actually been unblocked. Today, the first ship with Ukrainian grain has already passed inspection in Istanbul. According to the Head of the Government, this will provide additional opportunities for grain export and more confidence for farmers.
“In general, in June we exported 3.2 million tons out of the 5 tons that were needed. Exports are gradually increasing by rail, road, and through the Danube ports. Seaports will significantly expand these capacities and farmers will get new opportunities to sell their products. The authorities exert every effort for this purpose,” the Prime Minister emphasized.
As Denys Shmyhal noted, the Government, for its part, engages in developing and improving the conditions for the participation of agricultural producers in the “5-7-9” state loan program. According to the Prime Minister, more than 52% of this program is aimed at lending to representatives of agrarian businesses.
“Apart from that, we introduced grant support. Already this week, the first applicants will receive grants for the development of horticulture, greenhouses, for the development of processing industry and micro-enterprises. More than 5,000 applications have already been submitted and processed. We will prolong the implementation of this workplaces creation program through the provision of appropriate grants,” the Head of the Government emphasized.
The participants of the meeting also heard information from the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Mykola Solsky, regarding the progress of harvesting and storage of grain and oil crops. He noted that this year’s harvest is expected to be larger than was initially predicted — 65-67 million tons instead of 60 million tons, according to the previous forecast.