Ukraine could increase seeds exports by 10 times in medium term – Agriculture Ministry

17:05, 04.11.2015 1 min read

Ukrainian seed exports in the medium term outlook could grow by 10 times, Deputy Minister of Agricultural Policy and Food Volodymyr Lapa has said.

"In 2014 seeds exports from Ukraine amounted to more than $37 million. If I was to talk about the medium term [outlook], we could increase exports of seeds by 10 times," he told reporters while opening the Seedcare Institute of Syngenta company in Ukraine.

According to him, in 2011-2012 seeds exports amounted to 8,000-11,000 tonnes, and in 2014 exports rose to 14,000 tonnes.

In 2014, imports of seeds to Ukraine exceeded 81,000 tonnes. Since the beginning of 2015, Ukraine imported 43,000 tonnes of seeds.

"There is the trend towards the reduction [of imports], this is the result of the efforts to localize seed production," Lapa said.

The deputy minister said that about 9,000 seed varieties are registered in Ukraine, of which 5,000 are domestic, and 3,800 are foreign.