At the request of the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), the head of the UAC AndriI Dykun took part in a meeting of Ukrainian business leaders to discuss the efforts of the private sector in Ukraine aimed at defending the state and helping citizens from the first days of the war.

The audience of the event included people who made decisions in Washington from the US government, Congress, USAID and other donors who seek to support Ukraine not only in winning the war, but also in the rebuilding the country afterwards

The purpose of the meeting is to hear from Ukrainian business representatives how they managed not only to survive this year, but also continue working and helping the population, and how the state's interaction with business has changed at the national and regional levels.

The participants of the event were unanimous in the fact that there is currently zero tolerance for corruption in the business environment. This is the time when Ukrainians are creating a new history of independent Ukraine, in which the state works for people and observes and ensures their rights.

"We all understand that there may not be another chance to change the country. War is a window of opportunity for reforms. We should not wait for its end, we should carry out reforms right now. It is worth mentioning that much more has been done for the last year in the interaction between business and government than in the past 5 years. We become one team based on trust. I can say this on the example of the work of the UAC: from the first days of the war, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine recommended our association for cooperation with international donors, because they trust us, and donors trust them. And this is a very effective cooperation, as strategic issues for the agricultural sector are solved together. Together with the support of the Ministry, we are negotiating the issue of extending the preferential trade regime of Ukraine with the EU, blockade of grain exports through the Ukrainian-Polish border, we raise the issue of the state level in the European Parliament. We are united team, and it gives results. Such cooperation didn’t exist before",  noted Andrii Dykun.

In response to the question how they survived this year and what the 12 months of the war were like, the head of the UAC explained that at the beginning of the Russian invasion, farmers understood that they had to continue working in the fields and provide food for the population, because without food, the cities would not survive.

"If the cities were under siege, there would be no opportunity to import food, there would be no food, and therefore no strength to fight. Therefore, farmers united and brought grain trucks to Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and other cities of Ukraine, accompanied by armored military vehicle, so that people could have food," Andrii Dykun said.

The head of the UAC noted that at the beginning of the war, the charity fund SaveUA was founded by the farmers of the association to provide humanitarian aid.

"With the support of international donors, the foundation's team helps to provide  food kits for Ukrainians affected by the war, provides hospitals in the de-occupied territories with the necessary medicines and equipment, helps farmers with the supply of seeds, generators, medicines for animals, grain storage sleeves, Starlink terminals, etc. to support the agricultural activities," ​​said Andrii Dykun.

Answering the question of how and with what international partners can help us, the chairman of the Ukrainian Agri Council named the priority tasks that must be solved now.

"For full restoration of the agricultural sector, we need financing, equipment and specialists in demining territories, so that farmers can go to the fields without risking their lives. Currently, Ukraine is the largest mined territory in the world. We need political support in continuing the Black Sea Grain Initiative and help in solving the issue on the Ukrainian-Polish border related to the import of agricultural products from Ukraine to the EU market. What does not directly concern agribusiness, but will help bring victory closer, we need help in providing pickup for the needs of the Armed Forces. European stocks of these cars are depleted, and their importance for our defenders on the front is high," Andrii Dykun said.

Also, the head of the UAC emphasized that Russian assets seized in many countries around the world, including the USA, for confiscation in favor of Ukraine, could help farmers whose farms were completely or partially destroyed by the Russian military.

You can watch the full conversation in English at: https://fb.watch/jhCx9H6ORp