Ukraine held an open seminar today on reforming state
support, the event was part of an EU project on the implementation of agricultural support in Ukraine. If anyone knows about state support of agriculture it’s the EU.
As if by coincidence, Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy announced
they have allocated a further $11 million for payment of subsidies to agricultural
producers which brings the accumulated total in the subsidy kitty to $217 million.
Also today, Ukraine’s Minister of Agriculture met Saudi
Arabia’s Minister of Transport and signed a bilateral protocol aimed at promoting
business and cultural partnerships, increasing import-exports, technology
exchange and attracting investment.
Ukraine was keen to offer to dairy and meat, flour,
confectionery, vegetable oils and organic products to Saudi Arabia while Saudi made a proposal to invest in Ukrainian irrigation and water
management projects.
Ukraine’s Ag Ministry report that in the current marketing
year they may hold a 12% share in the global grain market and are currently ranked
fourth in corn exports, third in barley exports and sixth in wheat.
Might be time to start considering the implications of the EU extending CAP to Ukraine and what that would do to Ukraine production and exports.