The seizure of land under the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine may destroy the scientific system that has been built for decades, deprive farmers of support and jeopardize the country's food security - these positions were voiced by representatives of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine during the press conference "Will Ukraine remain an agrarian country with the State Property Fund's claims to NAAS lands", writes UNN.
Details
According to scientists, the seizure of land used by NAAS scientific institutions threatens the further functioning of agricultural science in Ukraine. In particular, it concerns the suspension of work in the areas of animal husbandry, crop production, agriculture, breeding and seed production.
These are things that were created not over decades, but over centuries, because the academy has come a long way in 100 years from individual research plots to a modern scientific organization that comprehensively provides and develops the agro-industrial production of our country. We will destroy these schools, and after that we will never be able to restore them. (...) And today I am not afraid to say it: in my opinion, this is an anti-Ukrainian action, an attempt to de-land this land.
According to scientists, the activities of research institutions are critical to ensuring the state's food security. The seizure of land used by the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences will make it impossible to ensure the fulfillment of its tasks and will cause significant losses for the state, as well as for domestic farmers.
According to Korniychuk, the Institute of Feeds alone has created about 210 varieties of crops, 130 of which have already been included in the State Register. Currently, selection of more than 30 crops is underway.
In addition, NAAS pays special attention to advisory services - a system of scientific and practical support for agricultural producers. This includes professional advice on agricultural technologies, variety selection, plant protection, animal feeding, breeding, farm management, etc. Advisory services, based on scientific developments, help farmers improve the efficiency of their operations and implement innovations.
Scientists of the Institute provide advisory services in Vinnytsia, Khmelnytsky and Ternopil regions. In Vinnytsia region alone, there are about 274 sole proprietors in the agricultural sector, about 2.4 thousand farmers, about 800 farms of medium and large level and agricultural holdings that use the services of scientists.
The NAAS emphasizes that the dispossession of the Academy will stop not only scientific but also applied activities in the regions. Ukraine risks losing control over its own seed fund, animal breeds, and agricultural technologies.
We are already seeing foreign varieties, fertilizers, and plant protection products being imported into Ukraine en masse. And if this continues, our agricultural future will be completely dependent on foreign markets.
In turn, Valeriy Adamchuk, Chief Scientific Secretary of NAAS, reminded that the academy's lands constitute less than 0.5% of all agricultural land in Ukraine.
These decisions have no significant effect on the state. If someone wants to solve private matters, it is not our issue. But we are obliged to protect science.
Let us remind you
Experts warn that the loss of NAAS scientific land may lead to the destruction of the entire system of agricultural selection, degradation of the horticulture industry and loss of biodiversity. Thus, the reproduction of one crop can cost from one to tens of millions of dollars, and Ukraine risks losing its own technologies and being forced to buy them abroad. This includes varieties of horticultural and grape crops created since the times of Tairov, which have already been entered in the state register or are in the final stages of development.
In addition, the seizure of land from scientists will lead to a shortage of quality planting material, higher prices for agricultural products and increased dependence on imports, which, moreover, are often found to be infected with viruses. Imported seedlings can be 8-9 times more expensive than domestic ones, and the price includes logistics costs, customs duties and adaptation costs to Ukrainian climatic conditions. All this critically affects the cost and competitiveness of Ukrainian gardeners' products.