UKRAINE-AZAROV-VEGETABLE-PRICES
Kyiv, July 25 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has predicted there will be stable prices for vegetables in the domestic market this agricultural year.
“One can be sure that prices for vegetables will remain stable for the whole year up until the new harvest,” he said opening a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers in Kyiv on Wednesday.
The premier also said that in future Ukraine could eventually reach a level of production of 30 million tonnes of vegetables a year, compared with the almost 10 million tonnes harvested last year.
“In future, Ukraine is expected to up vegetable production to 30 million tonnes. These will be the best quality and cheapest products in Europe. So we consciously set ourselves the task of gradually expanding on the European market,” the premier said.
In order to raise vegetable production, the government ordered the Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry to plan a number of urgent measures to restore the system of irrigation farming and the program of modernization of vegetable growing, its infrastructure and storage facilities.
As reported, in 2011 Ukraine harvested 9.8 million tonnes of vegetables, which is 21% up on 2010.
[UA EUROPE EEU EMRG FOD MCE]
AK
11:30:30 EET-2
