As part of the new harvest, Ukrainian farmers have already threshed almost 16.6 million tonnes of grain, most of all in Mykolaiv and Odesa regions, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said.

"Thanks to the dedication of Ukrainian farmers, we are harvesting the second wartime harvest. Behind these figures of millions of tonnes of grain, there is the daily hard work of tens of thousands of people, often risking their lives," he said during a government meeting on Tuesday.

Shmyhal stressed that the synergy in the work between business and the state gives a clear understanding that there will be enough food both for Ukraine's internal needs and for export.

"Ukraine will continue to be one of the key guarantors of global food security. In this we count on the solidarity of our partners," the Prime Minister said.

He stressed that Ukraine needs more air defense systems to better cover the ports, and especially the Danube port cluster. And also Ukraine needs sustainable overland logistics routes with high capacity.

"Each exported tonne of grain strengthens Ukraine and the free world," the prime minister said.

That is why the priority of the government will remain the support of farmers. First of all, this concerns access to concessional loans and grants. He clarified that in January-July, under the 5-7-9 program, the state issued UAH 27.6 billion in loans. In total, 9,500 agricultural enterprises of Ukraine received UAH 45.5 billion in bank loans under all credit programs. Agrarians from Vinnytsia, Odesa and Kyiv regions are leading among the participants in state programs.

According to Shmyhal, this allowed many farmers to survive and allowed many to develop further.