International conference #DoAgro22 - annual dialogue between agribusiness and government officials took place in Ukraine

Kyiv hosted the Doing Agribusiness in Ukraine (#DoAgro22) conference - an annual dialogue between agribusiness and government representatives, which focuses on macroeconomic review, grain logistics, alternative energy in the agricultural sector, prospects for agribusiness in the context of Ukraine's membership in the EU.

The First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Taras Vysotskyy opened the event. He stressed that 2022 had been full of force majeure for farmers, but despite all the obstacles, they were looking for new opportunities to maintain their activities and develop.

"Thanks to the prompt responses of international partners, government officials, and all market participants, we have managed to pass 2022. However, it should be understood that 2023 will also be full of challenges - the energy crisis, logistics difficulties, and financing issues. The Government keeps looking for opportunities. However, domestic sources are rather limited, so external support is needed. Provided that there is available funding, farmers will manage to go through the next 2023 season," emphasized Taras Vysotskyy.

Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Markiyan Dmytrasevych was among the speakers of the panel, which dealt with the prospects for agribusiness in the context of Ukraine's membership in the EU.

He noted that the abolition of trade restrictions for Ukraine by the EU, on the one hand, had created truly unique favorable conditions for Ukrainian agricultural producers, on the other hand, these opportunities had come at a very difficult time, when agricultural production declines, farmers suffer losses and lack financing.

"The path to the EU is just in its early stages - and we will receive even more additional requirements than now, but gradually and step by step our agricultural sector is integrating into the EU," said Markiyan Dmytrasevych, stressing that a huge number of regulations and legislative documents are currently being developed in the government and legislative fields, while farmers, for their part, should have an understanding of what standards they need to improve.