Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine

The Cabinet of ministers has updated the rules for granting grants for the creation of orchards, berry fields and vineyards. The changes expand opportunities for winemakers and eliminate the mandatory installation of irrigation for grapes.

Early grain and pulses harvesting has been completed in 5 regions of Ukraine. A total of 25.3 million tons of grains and 3.2 million tons of oilseeds were harvested, and an area of over 7.3 million hectares was threshed.

The Government of Ukraine has expanded the list of agricultural products with a limited shelf life and special storage regime. The changes include live animals, meat and fish products, fruits, vegetables and other goods.

Since the beginning of the marketing year, Ukraine has exported 3. 44 million tons of grain, up 59.26% year-on-year. The largest exports were of corn (1.511 mln tons) and wheat (1.438 mln tons).

The Ministry of Agrarian Policy issued the first two licenses for the production of alcohol distillates to small producers. This was made possible by simplifying the procedure for obtaining licenses for small businesses.

The Ministry of Agrarian Policy reported harvesting over 22 million tons of new crops. Poltava region has completed the harvest of early grains, while Khmelnytsky region is the leader in terms of yield with 64 c/ha.

Ukraine expects to harvest 27 million tons of early grain in 2024. Yields vary by region, but the overall forecast remains unchanged, said acting Agricultural Policy Minister Taras Vysotsky.

Ukraine has already harvested more than 3 million tons of grain, and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy has revised its forecast for the upcoming harvest, increasing it from 74 to 77 million tons, while Ukraine remains one of the world's leading agricultural exporters.

This year, the gross grain harvest in Ukraine will amount to about 60 million tons. Because of the war, farmers had fewer material resources, so the harvest will not be greatly increased.

This year, the Ukrainian government has provided more than UAH 220 million to 55 agricultural enterprises for the development of horticulture, berry growing, viticulture and greenhouse farming.

Ukraine's 16 regions have started harvesting early grain crops, with 209. 8 thousand hectares threshed and 721.4 thousand tons harvested, including wheat, barley, peas and rapeseed.

This year, Ukraine expects to harvest about 21 million tons of wheat, about 5 million tons of barley, and 4 million tons of rapeseed, which is higher than the average for the last decade, despite an earlier harvest due to weather conditions.

Ukraine and Poland discussed the resumption of Ukrainian sugar exports to the EU after the new sugar beet crop was harvested in September, following Ukraine's temporary ban on duty-free sugar exports to the EU.

Due to the full-scale Russian invasion, about 30% of Ukraine's agricultural potential has been lost, about 20% of agricultural land is under occupation, and large areas are mined or contaminated with explosives.

In April, 1,130 loan agreements worth more than UAH 4. 3 billion were concluded under state guarantees on a portfolio basis, of which UAH 2.4 billion was guaranteed by the state.

The Ministry of Agrarian Policy has submitted a draft law on the" state agrarian register" aimed at improving the mechanism for providing state support to agricultural producers through an automated system.

More than 11 million hectares of spring crops have already been planted in Ukraine, accounting for more than 90% of the planned sown area, with corn, barley, wheat, oats, peas, buckwheat and millet being the main crops grown in different regions.

Since the beginning of the year, 6,724 agricultural enterprises have received UAH 43. 2 billion in bank loans for development, of which 3,980 farms have been financed for UAH 18.3 billion under the government program "Affordable Loans 5-7-9%".

Ukraine has granted duty-free and quota-free access to exports of agricultural products, including poultry, eggs, sugar, honey, corn, oats, and cereals to the EU until June 5, 2025, with conditions for certain products based on average export volumes in 2021-2023.

Deputy Speaker Kornienko announced that ministerial appointments, including those currently acting, could be considered at the next parliamentary session.

Ukrainian farmers have already planted about 10 million hectares of spring crops, including grains, pulses, sunflower, soybeans and sugar beet, during this year's spring sowing campaign.

In recent months, about 85-87% of Ukrainian agricultural products have been exported by sea, with the volume of road transportation increasing after the border was unblocked.

Ukraine and Poland have reached an agreement to prevent a repeat of the border blockade by Polish farmers, with dialogue between ministries and agricultural associations continuing to address any potential problems, contributing to cautious optimism about uninterrupted trade.

USAID has committed more than $250 million to support Ukrainian grain and oilseed producers through the new USAID Harvest program, which aims to restore and expand the agricultural sector.

Farms that received loans until 2022 and are located in the temporarily occupied territories or territories where active hostilities are taking place can postpone their repayment until December 31, 2025, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food reports.

The Cabinet of Ministers has doubled the credit limit under the "Affordable Loans 5-7-9" program to stimulate the development of the livestock industry and attract investment.

73 farms in Kherson Oblast received 300 tons of spring wheat seeds and 145 farmers received sunflower seeds from international partners such as FAO, with support from the governments of Japan and Norway.

The idea to eliminate the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and the suspicion of Solsky - experts hint at a strange coincidence.

Polish protesters unblocked the border with Ukraine after the talks, and the next meeting of the Ukrainian and Polish agriculture ministers is scheduled for May 7.

The High Anti-Corruption Court has imposed preventive measures on three more suspects in the Solsky case of illegal seizure of state land worth UAH 481 million in Sumy region.