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International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Thursday, 28.03.2024, 22:37

Minister Pavlenko: agriculture can save Ukraine from crisis

BC, Riga, 17.04.2015.Print version
The war has hardly affected Ukraine's agricultural sector, thus agriculture is an industry which can pull Ukraine out of its current problems, Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture and Food Alex Pavlenko says in an interview with LETA.

At the same time he notes that last year Ukraine saw a 31% fall in agricultural product trade with Russia last year, however, the situation changed thanks to a timely switch to other markets, including the European Union.

 

"We have lost 1.5 million tons of grain crops in Donetsk, Luhansk, and the occupied Crimea, however, on the whole, the loss amounted to only 3%. The war-free regions are fine. The largest problem is the banks' cautious attitude toward lending, and the consequence will be that farmers will lack money to buy fertilizers, and thus settle for cheaper seeds, which might affect the autumn harvest. Furthermore, the budget for pensions and social allowances will be reduced, so everybody understands that this will be a tough year for Ukraine. However, the government certainly knows that agriculture will save the country from its current struggle," the minister says.

 

Asked how the geopolitical events affected Ukraine's agricultural exports and imports, Pavlenko says that in 2014, the total amount of trade with Russia and the Customs Union countries reduced by 31%.

 

When asked about the Ukrainian farmers' interest in Latvia, the minister says that it largely concerns experience exchange.






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