Among the key needs of agricultural producers under martial law are the availability of generators, seeds, access to finance and uninterrupted exports. In particular, as estimated by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, the total area of crops in Ukraine during the spring field works can increase by 30% should there be international support with seed material.

This was stated by Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Markiyan Dmytrasevych during a round table titled “Urgent needs of the Ukrainian agricultural sector for sustainability and recovery”, organized with the support of the European Union and the World Bank.

“We conducted a survey among farmers on the need for seeds. In fact, all farmers said that they are ready to sow. And, if there is international support with seed material, the total area of crops can increase by 30%. Therefore, we asked our partners for help. And we already have the first positive feedback, in particular from the FAO,” said Markiyan Dmytrasevych.

In addition, according to the Deputy Minister, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy appealed to all partner countries of Ukraine for assistance in the purchase of generators for the agricultural sector. The need for them is 1,125 units. Currently, confirmation has been received from Germany to provide 25 generators. Meanwhile, the Ministry is negotiating with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the FAO. “Everyone felt the consequences of the blackout. In the agricultural sector, livestock breeding and processing suffer the most. We are working to cover at least part of the need for 1,125 generators,” the Deputy Minister stressed.