Restricting rapeseed exports — this controversial proposal was made today during a meeting at the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine dedicated to issues of cooperation with the EU in the field of trade and further integration into the EU internal market.

The initiative to restrict exports was announced by Stepan Kapshuk, director of the Ukroliyaprom Association. He proposed banning the export of 50% of the rapeseed harvest from the country in order to increase the utilization of Ukrainian processing capacities.

Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Agri Council Mykhailo Sokolov criticized his proposal and stressed that farmers are categorically opposed to any restrictions.

Oilseed producers are tens of thousands of farmers across Ukraine, and they are categorically opposed to any restrictions. Processors themselves admit that we have enough factories and do not need to build new ones. In other words, this is not about developing infrastructure, but about an attempt to artificially create conditions under which processors will simply earn more. Why not the producers? Restricting exports means taking money from farmers and giving it to processors. But it is farmers who have the biggest problems today. In turn, we guarantee processors that they will receive as much rapeseed as they need — provided that they offer a fair and market price. We urge the state not to interfere in the market and not to create preferences for one category of business at the expense of another,” emphasized Mykhailo Sokolov.

The UAС is convinced that such restrictions contradict market logic and will harm farmers who are already working in extremely difficult conditions.