Russia continues to attack Odesa region, but the Istanbul Grain Agreement is in action, Ukraine exports grain and has the potential to reach pre-war levels.

Denis Marchuk the Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Agri Council said that on the broadcast of "Edyni Novyny" on Inter TV-Channel 1+1.

“These attacks are not the first. Russia attacked Ukraine immediately after the conclusion of the Istanbul Agreement in July, but this did not stop Ukrainian exports to those regions of the world that desperately need Ukrainian agricultural products. Today, grain is transported both by rails and roads to the ports of Odesa”  the expert noted.

Statistics on exports demonstrate Ukraine's potential to return to pre-war levels in the fall.

However, there are negative factors that will affect the grain potential of Ukraine, among them are a lot of mined fields and limited economic activity of farmers on temporarily occupied area, the last are about 25%.

"It is very important to start demining already liberated territories in the Kharkiv region, where active fightings have been taking place for a long time, and a large part of farmers do not have the opportunity to carry out autumn sowing. Currently, the liberated territories need a large number of demining specialists. Therefore, it is worth speeding up the possibility of involving foreign specialists according to this issue. These lands must be prepared before the start of spring sowing in 2023," Denys Marchuk emphasized.

Regarding the support of the people who remained at the temporarily occupied territories, in particular for farmers, it is important that the draft law 7646 will be voted. This draft law defines the list of types of economic activities and activities that can be carried out in the temporarily occupied territories, and which are not recognized as punishable, if at the same time assistance is not given to the aggressor country.