President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi, government officials, and representatives of the agricultural sector to discuss challenges facing food exports and how to address them.
The main challenges for exports of grain, oilseed crops, and processed products are ensuring the security of maritime transportation, safety during transit, and the stable operation of other export corridors.
The Head of State emphasized that work on all these issues is ongoing 24/7, including diplomatic efforts with countries in the Middle East, Türkiye, Egypt, and other partners to unblock the ports.
“I want to thank you for your work. We are counting very much on it, and we are grateful to everyone who is here: there are businesses here, there are jobs, people are working. I believe this is truly a major contribution on your part, especially during the war, during such challenging times,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The meeting focused in detail on overland exports and prioritizing rail transportation for certain types of products. They also addressed the security of export routes and cargo insurance.
In addition, the restoration of road infrastructure and improvements to routes used for transporting agricultural products were discussed.
According to the Prime Minister, in August, the government lowered the minimum export prices for grain and oilseed crops to support farmers and launched an affordable lending program to support planting. Since the program was launched, an additional UAH 6 billion has been issued under the Affordable Loans 5-7-9% program. The National Bank of Ukraine also increased the collateral ratio for loans against agricultural products and introduced simplified lending requirements for agricultural producers through September 1, 2027.
Sergii Koretskyi reported that yields for certain agricultural crops are higher this year than last year, and overall grain and oilseed production is expected to exceed 80 million tons. Grain crops have already been harvested from more than 60% of the area.
The Head of State called on agricultural businesses to increase the volume of processed products, which would allow them to be exported more quickly and profitably. The President also instructed the relevant ministries to take into account all the issues raised by agricultural producers and resolve them as quickly as possible.