Arseniy Yatsenyuk holds meeting on situation in agriculture and its prospects this year

Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk held a meeting on the situation in the agricultural sector and the prospects for its development in the current year.

During the meeting, there were examined issues including food security in the country, improving competitiveness of the agricultural sector at domestic and foreign markets, solution of social problems of a village.

Participants of the meeting paid special attention to the sowing campaign. Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Ihor Shvaika reported on the progress of spring field works. According to him, sowing of spring cereals and legumes is held on 89% of the area. There are good sprouts of spring barley, wheat and oat. Seeds of beet are being sowed on 70% of area allotted for this culture, planting of corn and sunflower is started. Currently, agrarian producers from 11 regions have completed the first feeding of winter crops. From the 7.8 million hectares of winter 94% of crops are in good and satisfactory condition. The Minister noted that according to the forecast data the sown area of spring crops in all categories of farms under harvest of 2014 not accounting replanting is estimated at 18.3 million hectares.

It was also noted that the Agrarian Fund carries government support in the grain sector through the purchase of grain harvest of 2014 under the terms of the forward. Objects of purchasing - wheat, rye, barley, oats and buckwheat.

Ukraine's Prime Minister stressed the need to examine the relevance of existing minimum intervention prices for forward purchases, taking into consideration economic realities.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk instructed the State Financial Inspection to immediately conduct an audit of financial activity of JSC "Agricultural Fund", State Specialized Budgetary Institution "Agrarian Fund" and PJSC "State Food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine", and the results report to the Cabinet.

Also, on behalf of the Prime Minister, State Inspection for Price Control must check the price situation in the oil market and to establish the validity of the price increase for these products. Thus the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry has been instructed to take all appropriate measures on resource saturation of the oil market.

In addition, by the results of the meeting of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, together with the National Bank was instructed to work out additional opportunities to refinance the banking system to provide with credit support of national farmers.