The full-scale invasion of russia has had a significant impact on food security and the operations of Ukraine’s agricultural sector. In particular, the logistics chains of agricultural exports to global markets have been affected. Therefore, it is necessary to create a threat-resistant agricultural supply system to ensure food security for Ukraine and the world.
Taras Vysotskyi, First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, made this point in his speech at a meeting of the NATO Food and Agriculture Planning Committee.
According to him, even now, after the reopening of some Ukrainian seaports, farmers still have limited opportunities to export their products. However, the situation with the supply of agricultural products to the EU and other countries has improved over the past two years.
“Thanks to the opening of the Ukrainian sea corridor, 85% of agricultural products are exported by water. The rest is exported by rail and a small amount by road. However, it is crucial to keep all possible export routes open, as even a one-week delay has a critical impact on the condition of the agricultural sector and the country’s food security. That is why Ukrainian farmers need support to continue to ensure the world’s food security,” said Taras Vysotskyi.
In addition, the First Deputy Minister noted that a number of other factors affect the activities of agricultural producers. In particular, the partial or complete destruction of agricultural farms, food production facilities and critical infrastructure. There is also contamination of agricultural land with heavy metals and mining, temporary occupation of some territories, and the destruction of the irrigation system in the southern regions due to the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam.
Taras Vysotskyi is the second representative of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine since 2006 to brief NATO on the state of the Ukrainian agricultural sector. The Alliance’s leadership is grateful for the information on the food security situation and expressed hope for more frequent participation of Ukrainian representatives in NATO working groups. (Government portal)
