The Ukrainian Agri Council (UAC), on behalf of the farmers affected by the war, appealed to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to support the agricultural sector in the occupied and frontline regions.

The farmers sent the appeal based on the results of the conference “Agricultural Sector - the Way from Preservation to Recovery”.

The participants of the event formulated a list of initiatives that need to be adopted at the legislative level:

1. Adoption of the draft Law of Ukraine No. 11180-1 “On Amendments to the Civil Code of Ukraine on Lending for the Period of Martial Law” in terms of prohibiting banks from collecting collateral or pledge for loans from enterprises whose production facilities are currently located in the territories of active hostilities or temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as from individuals who are guarantors of such loans.
2. Introduction of a targeted subsidy for farmers working in the areas of active and possible hostilities to pay rent to shareholders. This will allow agricultural production to continue in such areas to guarantee local food security in the face of the threat of interruption of supply chains.
3. To provide agricultural enterprises from the occupied and frontline regions with a targeted subsidy to participate in auctions for the sublease of state-owned land plots leased by state-owned companies (which, according to Law of Ukraine No. 3272, were formed through the transformation of state-owned enterprises) and put up for land auctions. The amount of the privilege should be calculated from the amount of taxes, fees and charges paid by the agricultural producer before the full-scale invasion.
4. To launch a compensation mechanism for the losses caused to Ukrainian agrarian business by the aggression of the Russian Federation. The first step should be to accept applications from affected legal entities to the International Register of Losses for Ukraine and the State Register of Property Damaged and Destroyed as a Result of Hostilities, Terrorist Acts, and Sabotage Caused by the Armed Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. Delaying this decision leads to the loss of the evidence base on crimes committed against agricultural enterprises.

To support the affected agricultural producers, the UAC and the USAID Agriculture Growing Rural Opportunities Activity in Ukraine (AGRO) implemented a joint project “Supporting agricultural MSMEs affected by active hostilities or Russia’s temporary occupation”. The project identified a number of key issues. Some of them have already been resolved. But there are still issues that require political decision-making and support from public authorities.

Therefore, the UAC appeals to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to support the above initiatives for the restoration and development of the regions and the growth of the Ukrainian agricultural sector as a key industry to support the economy and defense capabilities of the state.