UCAB opposed the merger of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and the Ministry of Economy

The Ukrainian Club of Agrarian Business (UCAB) appealed to the Prime Minister of Ukraine with a request to review the decision regarding the possible merger of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and the Ministry of Economy.

“Such a decision will call into question the ability to pay the necessary attention to the agricultural sector, its restoration and further development. We call for strengthening the institutional independence and efficiency of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, which is more justified in the light of European integration and adaptation of the agricultural sector to new norms,” says the UCAB appeal.

UKAB noted that the specialized ministry is currently generating policies for the economic sector, which in 2023 provided the lion’s share of GDP and brought 61% of all foreign exchange earnings from the export of goods from Ukraine.

The association emphasized that the accession of Ukraine to the EU will also lead to the introduction of the norms and rules of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the Ukrainian agricultural sector. In view of this, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy will have to concentrate more and more on preparatory work for joining the EU SAP — it is necessary not only to create a register of agricultural producers, but also to prepare a legal framework for the creation of a payment agency.

“The absence of an institutionally strong, specialized and independent ministry may lead to the risk of sending false signals to the EU about the policy of Ukraine regarding the further development of agriculture,” the appeal emphasized.

It will be recalled that at the beginning of March it became known that the Ukrainian government plans to reduce the number of ministries by a third. The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and the Ministry of Economy can unite.