In an interview for Irish Agriland, Andriy Dykun, Head of the Ukrainian Agri Council and SAVE UA Charity Fund, told about the losses of the agricultural sector, in particular, the destroyed dairy farms, the need for generators to ensure the work of farmers, and the biggest problem this year - mined agricultural territories, which is why many farms are reducing the area for sowing or will not go to the fields at all this year, as it is dangerous for the lives of workers.

Andriy Dykun noted that "grain exports through the Solidarity Roads and the Black Sea Grain Initiative are extremely important for the Ukrainian agricultural sector."

"The suspension of quotas on exports of Ukrainian agri-food products has been a great help for the country. Counting on long-term access to the EU market, Ukraine will be able to build its agricultural strategy," said Dykun, expressing disappointment at the concerns of some countries about the markets.

The interview is available in English here.

Let us remind you that On January 30-31, 2023, the EU Council of Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries and the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development met in Brussels to discuss, among other things, Ukraine's preferential trade regime with the EU.

The Ukrainian Agri Council in cooperation with the leading agrarian associations appealed to the EU leaders to preserve and indefinitely extend Ukraine's preferential trade regime with the European Union. After all, since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the country has been in the most difficult situation since its independence.

Despite the problems for local farmers, especially in the countries bordering Ukraine, which have begun to experience difficulties in selling their products, during the discussion none of the member states put forward initiatives to reduce or create any barriers to Ukrainian agricultural exports, expressing absolute support for Ukraine and Ukrainian farmers. At the same time, EU countries began to investigate how to support European farmers in this emergency situation.