Another statement by russian media about the "disruption of sowing in Ukraine" is another round of informational aggression against Ukraine, according to the Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Agri Council (UAC) Denis Marchuk. In StopFake's comment, he noted that the information about the "disruption of the seeding" is not true.

" This is not the first time such narratives nourished by russian media have appeared in the infofield. With the outbreak of this war, Russia demanded Ukraine surrender under the pretext that if Ukraine did not surrender, then people would "starve" and there would be "not enough food". When the grain corridor began on August 1, 2022, Russia predicted that Ukraine would "export all the grain" and soon again "there will nothing to eat", "we will starve" – ​​none of this is happening. It is banal that Russia is fighting not only on the military fronts, but also with economic and informational attacks. Therefore, this is nothing more than another Russian disinformation ," says Denys Marchuk.

In fact, there is no "hunger" in Ukraine - Ukraine's strategic provision of food products fully meets domestic needs, - Denys Marchuk emphasizes. This year's sowing campaign, like in 2022, will take place under the most difficult conditions. However, the russian mass media "forget" to name the real reason for the difficulties Ukrainian farmers are facing - the massive Russian shelling of the civil and energy infrastructure, mined fields, and the occupation of Ukrainian territories. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine that undermine the foundations of food security not only in, but throughout the world.

Ukraine has reduced the possibility of harvesting in the temporarily occupied parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as in the territories where active hostilities are taking place.

"We understand that due to the occupation of the territories, some fields are mined, and people are cannot go out into the fields, we will not 100% sow our area. Accordingly, this will be reflected in the gross harvest in 2023. But today, the main task - by finding financial mechanisms in the form of lending the farmers within the framework of the 5-7-9% program implemented in Ukraine, - is to enable producers to purchase all the necessary materials for this sowing campaign using these funds. We understand that not everyone will be able to use the program 100%, but the majority of producers will take advantage of the opportunity and conduct a sowing campaign. So 2023 sowing  will take place," Denys Marchuk emphasized.

Last year perfectly demonstrated Ukraine’s resilience in all areas of the country's life support, including the agricultural sector. Even under the conditions of full-scale hostilities, Ukrainian farmers were not only able to meet Ukraine's annual demand for grain, but also to harvest for export, says Marchuk.

"In 2021, we harvested a record crop of oilseeds and grains - approximately 108 million tons. For comparison: in the wartime period, despite these conditions, we managed to collect about 67 million tons of these crops. Despite the fact that Ukraine needs about 18 million tons to meet its annual needs. Even in the conditions of war, we have the potential not only to meet our domestic needs, but also to export twice as much to foreign markets," Denys Marchuk emphasizes.

Ukraine is an export-oriented country, says the deputy head of the Ukrainian Agri Council.

The expert notes that Ukraine’s agricultural sector grows products to ensure not only domestic needs, but also export, earning from it. According to Marchuk, the export of agricultural products is a key industry in Ukraine, which ensures foreign exchange earnings. The deputy head of the UAC reported that about 53% of Ukraine’s exports  during the invasion were agricultural products. Ukraine managed to accumulate about 23 billion dollars from the exports of its foodstuffs.

That is why, the Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Agri Council notes, the export of products from Ukraine and the grain corridor does not affect the country's food security. On the contrary, grain trade is the basis for filling the budget.

"Even in this difficult period in 2022, we grew about 19.4 million tons of grain, despite the fact that the annual grain consumption, depending on the period, reaches from 5 to 7 million tons. During the war, we grew 12 million tons more than we consume. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but even if we grow 16-19 million tons this year, it will not affect Ukraine's food security, but we will provide strategic reserves for export. The only downside here is that we will receive less foreign exchange earning," says Marchuk.

Summing up, the deputy head of the Ukrainian Agri Council urged Ukrainians not to react to the russian media about the "imminent famine" in Ukraine. The expert emphasized once again that russia is deliberately trying to create chaos in Ukraine and provoke panic among the population.

"All russians fakes will intensify with their losses at the front - they increase the informational pressure on our citizens because of their military failures. Therefore, I want to appeal to our citizens not to believe such fakes. Do not panic and do not run to buy buckwheat, creating artificial food shortages. Such panic can lead to a rapid rise in prices, panicking people can create a shortage. There is no need to do this, because today we are fully provided with all groups of goods," Denys Marchuk summarized.

Wednesday, 15 February 2023

 

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