Vitalii Koval and Oksen Lisovyi discuss improvements to higher and vocational agricultural education

Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Vitalii Koval met with Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Oksana Osmachko, Deputy Minister of Education and Science Mykhailo Vynnytskyi, Acting Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre Dmytro Makarenko, and heads of structural units from both ministries.

The parties discussed ways to enhance the system of higher and vocational agricultural education.

Vitalii Koval emphasised that the effective development of the agricultural sector, particularly in livestock and agro-processing – key priorities of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food – required skilled professionals. Currently, there is a shortage of highly qualified specialists across various areas of the agricultural sector.

“The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, together with the Ministry of Education and Science, must shape a state policy for training personnel in the agricultural sector. Today, agriculture accounts for 20% of employment – over 2 million people are directly engaged in farming, and 5 million workers overall. Our main areas of focus include livestock, deep processing, and the construction of vegetable storage facilities. These industries urgently need complex skilled professions – veterinarians, zootechnicians, and agricultural engineers – which are in short supply. Therefore, we must jointly develop a state order for vocational training centres and higher education institutions in the agricultural sector,” noted the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food.

“It is critically important to raise the level of agricultural education and develop agricultural diplomacy. This will enhance Ukraine’s competitiveness in global markets, boost export potential, ensure stable economic growth, and promote the sustainability of rural areas,” he stressed.

Vitalii Koval and Oksen Lisovyi agreed to establish a working group to assess the demand for agricultural specialists at various levels. They also committed to developing a roadmap for implementing a plan to train professionals in agriculture.