The financial situation of Ukrainian farmers has deteriorated during the war due to low purchase prices for agricultural products. An additional negative factor was the terrorist’s attack on the Kakhovka HPS. In these circumstances, farmers need to increase credit limits under the 5-7-9 crediting program and delay the launch of the agricultural land market, namely the ability to conclude purchase agreements for 10 thousand hectares.

"The destruction of the Kakhovka HPS resulted not only in the lack of water for irrigation. The consequence of this technological disaster will be more frequent dust storms and, consequently, an even greater decline in soil fertility. If the South of Ukraine used to bring the country 1.5 billion in foreign exchange earnings only with the help of grain, it is lost nowadays. The lack of financial resources has already had a negative impact on the volume of harvested crops last season and the amount of sown area this year. We are likely to see more cases of agricultural companies closing down. We hope for support from international partners and grant programs, as it is very difficult for small and medium-sized businesses.

It is important that the 5-7-9 program of preferential state lending continues to work, but there is a problem - a limit of UAH 90 million per legal entity. This program has been operating for a long time, many producers have used the limits, and we hope that the Ministry of Finance and the Verkhovna Rada will expand the limits to UAH 130-180 million, which will support farmers and the economy. Let remind you that in 2022, 70% of total exports from Ukraine were agricultural products," said Denys Marchuk, Deputy Chairman of the UAC.

In wartime and technological disaster, the expansion of the agricultural land market, which is envisaged by law from 2024, is inappropriate and unfair to producers.

"Starting from 2024, legal entities will be allowed to enter the land market and the limit for the purchase of agricultural land will be increased to 10,000 hectares. The UAC does not oppose the participation of legal entities, but many farmers are currently at war, helping the army, and do not have the financial capacity to buy land. As it was mentioned above, producers have been selling grain at lower that market prices are for more than a year. Today, farmers are not ready to compete with large companies on the land market and are not able to buy 10,000 hectares of land. We ask the authorities to postpone the introduction of these innovations, so that by the end of the war it will be possible to buy no more than 100 hectares by one enterprise. After the war, it will take at least 2-3 years to restore the solvency of producers," Denys Marchuk emphasized.