KYIV, April 20 – The abolition of quotas for the export of agricultural products from Ukraine to the countries of the European Union or the revision of their rates upwards may become the most important support for the Ukrainian agro-industrial complex in the context of the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

"The main assistance is the revision of export quotas and their maximum reduction - this is the most important support that the Ukrainian agricultural business expects from the EU countries. In addition, we asked to simplify transit conditions in order to use ports in the Baltic Sea and Romanian ports in the Black Sea," Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Solsky said in an interview with the Italian edition Adnkronos.

Earlier it was reported that in 2021 Ukraine fully used nine quotas for duty-free exports to the EU, namely for honey, cereals, flour, starch, processed starch, processed tomatoes, grape and apple juice, chicken eggs, poultry (parts), processed cereal products.

According to the minister, the percentage of losses in the Ukrainian agricultural industry due to the war unleashed by the Russian Federation is very high, and it is currently difficult to calculate it, although back in 2021 Ukrainian agriculture, forestry and fish farming, totaling 10.6% of the country's GDP, showed significant growth.

"The war is still going on, and the damage, unfortunately, is increasing daily. Obstacles caused by hostilities can lead to a decrease in the quality of crops and yields per hectare. According to preliminary data, about 20-30% of the arable land area may remain unsown. The accurate figure will be known at the end of May, when the sowing campaign is over," Solsky stressed.

The minister clarified that in 2022, a change in the area under crops in favor of higher-margin agricultural crops is expected in Ukraine, which will lead to an increase in the crops of sunflower, soybeans, rapeseeds, barley and wheat, with the reduction of areas under corn.

Solsky also noted that this year Ukraine was supposed to export 20 million tons of last year's wheat to world markets, but the blockade of Ukrainian seaports by Russian warships prevents it from doing so. In addition, in March of this year, Ukraine exported 1.4 million tons of grain crops, which is 3.5 times less than the average pre-war export of 5 million tons. (om/ez)