Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Gov't Action Program: Ukraine declares a new food policy

"Ukraine should take the lead on the global food market. And for this purpose the Government announces a new food policy, targeting expanding foreign markets and supplying of the products of domestic origin to the domestic market of Ukraine", said Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk presenting the Action Program of the Cabinet of Ministers at the Cabinet’s meeting on Tuesday, December 9.

"It is inadmissible when an agrarian country number one in Europe buys as imports half of the products. We must not import, but export instead," he said.

The Government proposes, apart from the export of agricultural products, particularly grain – to export processed products, "For this purpose we need to make a number of serious changes, in particular on a land market and in the agricultural sector".

"We have set a task to prepare the law of Ukraine on the land market, but our key goals are approval of the law on the long-term lease of land and completion of forming of the state land cadastre, which is presently completed only by 5%, unfortunately. Without these two items, to ensure effective development of the agricultural sector proves impossible," said the Prime Minister.

Among the top priorities of the Government is considered the development of small and medium enterprises in rural areas, "The Government submits to the Parliament the law on local agricultural markets. Small businesses in rural areas should receive appropriate local agricultural markets on which to sell their products in order to ensure the needs inside Ukraine, and the mechanisms of compensation of the interest rates for small agricultural enterprises, procurement of agricultural machinery, oil and lubricants".

Concerning an external vector, the Government, according to Arseniy Yatseniuk, sets as one of the tasks creating and promoting of an agricultural brand "Produced in Ukraine".

The Prime Minister also said that the Cabinet of Ministers planned to radically change both management system and approaches in the administration of the State Food and Grain Corporation and Public joint stock company "Agrarian Fund".

In addition, the Government submits to the Parliament a new draft law on the State material reserve "with a function to ensure food security of the state as well", and a new redaction of the law on the state support of agriculture.