The largest professional association of agrarian sector urge the state authorities to promptly solve problematic issues related to functioning of the agro-industrial complex. In particular, we are talking about the necessity of signing adopted by the Verkhovna Rada  Bill No.2436a that cancels the corruption levies from agricultural producers, adoption of Bill No.2049a that simplifies the procedure of registration of agricultural land leasing, abolition of the mandatory technical control of agricultural machinery and the development of land management projects.

These and other issues of work in the industry are to be discussed on April11, 2014 during the Third National Agrarian Forum, which brought together about 500 agricultural producers representing all forms of agricultural businesses and regions of Ukraine.

Farmers stress that recently agricultural industry is in extremely difficult financial and economic circumstances facing a number of significant challenges, such as:

- extremely limited chances to attract investments and credits in the field of agriculture;

- revision of tax incentives for agricultural producers;

- ineffective registration system for agricultural land leasing;

- excessive regulation of economic activity, which sets up preconditions for corruption;

- delay in adoption of draft laws aimed at the deregulation of economic activities in agriculture;

- significantly higher prices for inputs in agriculture: fertilizers, crop protection products, fuel, etc.

"Every year, farmers were losing billions of UAH on unofficial payments to officials for permits and procedures that are absent in the civilized countries of the world. Threats to the industry have been only accumulated over time and can lead to extremely negative consequences up to the impossibility to cultivate large areas of agricultural land, reduction of production volumes and exports of agricultural products, as well as saturation of the domestic market to meet the needs of consumers" - said Oleksandr Bakumenko, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association "Union of Poultry Producers of Ukraine», Co-chairman of Coordinating Council of the National Agrarian Forum.

"Even despite of the significant losses over the past year and the current difficult economic and political conditions in Ukraine, agrarians eager to work effectively and step up the pace in agricultural production. Therefore, the State is obliged to support domestic agricultural producers and eliminate those barriers that exist in the work of farmers. However, what we see after the the new Government started to work, - it  is not the wish to solve the problems but rather the populist slogans" - said Alex Lissitsa, the President of Association "Ukrainian Agribusiness Club”, Co-chairman of the Coordinating Council of the National Agrarian Forum.

Therefore, in order to avoid the complete decline of agricultural industry, co-chairmen of the Coordinating Council of the National Agrarian Forum require a meeting with the Acting President of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov or the Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk because the branch Ministry ignores problems of farmers, that was confirmed during the National Agrarian Forum where neither Minister nor his deputies appeared. Therefore, the Forum took decision to express distrust to the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Igor Shvayka and set up a strike committee.

 “The Forum gathered representatives from all regions of Ukraine, including Crimea, with those issues that they would like to put discuss with leaders of the State, who unfortunately are absent. As you know, the Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk has a reason not to be here – he has a working visit in Eastern regions of the country. But why the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Igor Shvayka in not here -  it is unclear. It is very sad that the authorities do not want to hear the people who feed this country and represent the industry, which today still holds the State "on the legs”, - said during the Forum Leonid Kozachenko, the President of Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation, Co-chairman of the Coordinating Council of the National Agrarian Forum.

Farmers have expressed distrust to the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Igor Shvayka and decided to write an appropriate letter to the leaders of the State with a request to remove him from his position. It was also decided that proposals for candidatures on the position of Minister would be done by profile associations.

In addition, participants of the Forum unanimously decided to set up a strike committee. Gennady Novikov (Head of the Agrarian Union of Ukraine, Co-chairman of the Coordinating Council of the National Agrarian Forum) was appointed as its Chairman, and the First Deputy – Mykola Myrcevych (President of the Association of Farmers and Private Landowners of Ukraine, Co-chairman of the Coordinating Council of the National Agrarian Forum).

"The strike committee will start to act in the case of ignoring by the State authorities the problems of farmers and the failure of their demands. What kind of actions will be undertaken we can't declare at the moment, but there are plenty of legitimate and effective means. We are convinced that implementation of those steps proposed by agribusinesses, can really solve a lot of problems, we should not just ignore them, but rather perform" - said Gennadiy Novikov, Head of the Agrarian Union of Ukraine.