Ukraine's exports of agricultural produce will reach value of US$17B in 2012, up 20% from 2011, agriculture minister says

Nevin Barich

MOSCOW , December 20, 2012 (Itar-Tass) – Ukraine's exports of agricultural produce in 2012 will reach 17 billion U.S. dollar, or up by 20 percent on the previous year, Minister of the Agrarian Policy and Food Nikolai Prisyazhnyuk said on Thursday.

"Our exports of farming products have increased thanks to a new market that was opened this year - that of the European Union," he said. "European countries rank second in terms of consumption of our food products. It means that our products have won recognition there."

At the same time, he noted that Ukrainian farmers should be ready for growing competition with other countries and called to expand the range of exported farming products. "We bear in mind that the market of farming products and foods is very stiff. So, our farmers should be ready for fierce competition with developed countries that have been present on external markets for years," Prisyazhnyuk noted.

According to the ministry's estimates, Ukraine's exports of grain in the current marketing year [from July 2012 to June 2012] might reach 23 million tons, or up on previous plans of 21-22 million tons, said Sergei Petrenko, a deputy director of the ministry's department for the economic development of the agrarian market. Thus, he said, since the beginning of the season, grain exports have reached 13.4 million tons, including 5.7 million tons of wheat, 1.8 million tons of barley, and 5.7 million tons of maize.

-0-ras

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