USAID announces $60 mln aid package for Ukraine's agricultural sector – Dpty Administrator
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is allocating $60 million to support Ukrainian agriculture, USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman said, Radio Liberty reports.
According to Coleman, the aid package is aimed at introducing a new Harvest program to mitigate the impact of Russian aggression on agricultural production in Ukraine.
"This new initiative will work to improve Ukrainian farmers' production efficiency, sustainability, and competitiveness in the current war-time environment, while helping lay the groundwork for the sector's long-term, sustainable growth," USAID said.
Through Harvest, USAID will help create a regulatory and business environment in Ukraine that unlocks the potential for innovation and helps attract private business resources to help Ukrainian agricultural producers continue to feed their country and many other countries around the world.
Coleman noted that the Ukrainian agricultural sector remains one of the main drivers of the Ukrainian economy - in particular, in 2023 it provided more than 60% of export earnings. USAID adds that the Harvest program will be part of the Agriculture Resilience Initiative in Ukraine (AGRI-Ukraine). Since July 2022, the Agency has invested more than $350 million, raising more than $370 million from other donors.