Agro Perspectiva

Arbuzov: Government will not allow unjustified rise in prices for agricultural products

01.08.2013 12:16 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) — The Government will not allow unjustified rise in prices for agricultural products. This was stated by the First vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Serhiy Arbuzov during a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, which was held under his chairmanship, Government Portal reports. «It’s important that every Ukrainian feel good harvest as in a store, as at the fair. Therefore, the Government will monitor the prices of agricultural products. We will not allow unjustified growth. Over the past year (i.e. from the last year May) average selling prices of agricultural products fell by 3%,» Serhiy Arbuzov said. He drew attention to the fact that Ukraine has the potential to further increase the yield of crops, first of all, by improving the quality of seeds and wide application of advanced agricultural technologies. Domestic agrarian producers have already harvested 85% of early crops (nearly 27 million tons). It is noteworthy that the yield of grain this year to 4.8 tons per hectare higher than last year. Now it is 29.5 tons per hectare. The highest yield of early crops is in Cherkasy, Kyiv, Vinnytsia and Khmelnytsky regions. «With the completion of the harvest, the issue of price for grains harvested by agrarians becomes current. Important in this context is the mechanism for the introduction of minimum prices for grain, this has been recently pointed out by the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych,» the First vice Prime Minister said. Serhiy Arbuzov said that all in positive indicators are observed at the grain market. In particular, the domestic prices of early grain are stable and we even see the growth, and during the last 10 days there was an increase in prices for food wheat by UAH 50 per ton, for barley — UAH 20; traders buy wheat of third class in ports at an average of UAH 1700–1730 per ton, and barley — UAH 1780–1820. In addition, since the beginning of July of this year, exports of grain already amounted to about 870 thousand tons. «I instruct the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food to keep under personal control the storage and marketing of grain by farmers. Consider the feasibility of further practice of removing the excess supply of the domestic grain market. Check the validity of the cost of services in the supply chain of grain for export. Report on the results of that work in these areas and the taken measures will be studied at the next meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers,» Serhiy Arbuzov ordered. He also drew attention to the need to open new markets for agricultural products, particularly in the East of the country.