Agrarians in Ukraine opposed the closure of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy.
People from the Ukrainian agricultural business are asking President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Shmygal to stop combining the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, the Ministry of Economy, and the Ministry for Strategic Industries into a single executive body – the Ministry of Economic Development of Ukraine, as reported by open4business.
According to the website of the association “Ukrainian Agrarian Business Club” (UCAB), the agro-industrial complex is crucial for the country's economy, so it is logical and necessary for business and society to have a specialized central authority responsible for the formation of agricultural policy, the recovery of the agricultural sector after the war, ensuring volumes of agricultural production, and the establishment of supplies of agricultural products to world markets.
Additionally, besides the UCAB, the appeal was also signed by other agrarians of Ukraine: the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Forum, the Agrarian Union of Ukraine, the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Rada, Union of Poultry Farmers of Ukraine” and “Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation”.
“Ukraine is a state with a diversified economy, and agriculture and the agro-industrial complex are vital for ensuring economic recovery, food security, stability of the national currency and social protection of the population. The weight of Ukraine's agricultural sector has increased significantly since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. The role of Ukraine as an agrarian state has also been noted by leading world leaders and organizations,” the appeal emphasizes.
It is noted that agribusiness supports the establishment of a government center that will report to the Prime Minister and coordinate strategies and programs for revitalizing the Ukrainian economy.
“The abolition of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy will lead to negative consequences both in the agro-food sector and in the state economy as a whole, and will also cause concern for foreign partners and jeopardize the establishment of export supplies of Ukrainian food to countries in need,” the appeal says.
UCAB also mentions the international experience, stating that most countries with a developed agricultural sector have a separate central executive body responsible exclusively for the formation of agricultural policy. This includes countries like the United States, Canada, Turkey, and almost all EU member states (excluding Austria), which have authorities responsible exclusively for agriculture and food.
“Given the foregoing, the leading public associations of the agro-industrial complex call for taking into account the opinion of the agricultural sector when optimizing the number of central executive bodies, ensuring the existence of one separate specialized state authority at the national level, which will be responsible for ensuring food security and ensuring the effective functioning of the agricultural sector, especially in the post-war period ”, — stated in the message of representatives of agribusiness.
Reports in the Ukrainian media suggested the potential merging of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy with the Ministry of Economics and the Ministry of Strategic Industry into the Ministry of Economic Development.
As a result, it was mentioned that during a meeting between President Zelensky and government members on November 8, the corresponding concept for the consolidation of ministries in Ukraine from 20 to 14 was approved.
Previously, in June 2022, the media reported plans to merge the Ministry of Agrarian Policy with the Ministry of Economy into the new Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation by the end of 2022. It was also planned to generally reduce the number of ministries in the country from 20 to 12.
In August 2019, the Verkhovna Rada merged the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and the Ministry of Economy into the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture. However, in 2020, the Cabinet of Ministers recreated the Ministry of Agrarian Policy by removing its affiliation with the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture and set its staff at 203 employees, after which the ministry began functioning again as a separate entity.
Yuri Kosyuk and his fellow oligarchs were twice able to bend the Ministry of Agrarian Policy
The oligarchs don’t care: what the fuck to drag, what the fuck to pull away
