In the first six months of 2021, Ukraine produced 5.6% less milk than in the same period last year, while the import of dairy products was growing. The level of state support does not meet the needs of the industry development, Head of Ukrainian Union of Dairy Enterprises Vadym Chaharovsky has said at a press conference entitled “The further development of Ukrainian meat and dairy industry will be determined by the effectiveness of state support”.
“If we talk about the dairy industry, we can say that it is in a deep crisis. And statistics for the first half of this year show that this crisis is only getting worse,” he said.
Thus, in the first six months of 2021, milk production decreased by 5.6% YoY, and the number of cows in Ukraine decreased to 1.66 million.
Also, there was a decrease of almost 12% in the receipt of raw materials for processing, which led to a noticeable reduction in the production of butter, curd products and skimmed milk powder in Ukraine.
At the same time, imports of dairy products increased. In the first half of the year, they reached $165 million, up by $25 million.
“The current level of state support, which is about UAH 1.2 billion, does not meet the needs of both dairy farming and the industry as a whole,” the expert added. (Ukrinform/Business World Magazine)
