The Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Roman Leshchenko said this during the XIV International Dairy Congress, which started today, June 1. According to him, the development of livestock breeding is a priority of the ministry.
"As a Minister, I will do everything to strengthen my position not only in terms of land, but also in terms of livestock. We are now working out a relevant program and when we reach the final version, we will present our vision for the development of the dairy industry. Today we have a clear understanding that we need to produce 6 million tons of milk in the industrial sector and 2 million tons in the small family farm sector. With systematic investments in a five-year cycle, we can expand this whole paradigm, move away from imports and develop the domestic producer, "- the minister said.
However, according to him, the issue of protecting the market from imports is currently acute. Roman Leshchenko noted that he is categorical in this direction.
"We are conducting appropriate investigations, we are looking at analysts, but I want to say that we will definitely protect our market. This is especially true for cheese products, whose imports are growing exponentially. During January-April this year, we imported UAH 120 million worth of cheese products, despite the fact that last year, as of this time, imports amounted to UAH 90 million. Unfortunately, there is unfair competition and we are taking protective duties for our dairy industry very seriously. Not for the whole group of goods, but for individuals. First of all it is a question of cheese products. Without market protection, without internal support, we will not be able to stop this intervention," - the minister stressed.