Ukraine's agrarian unions support liquidation of agriculture and price inspectorates

Kyiv, February 28 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Union of Poultry Breeders of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Agrarian Association and the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club have supported the liquidation of the State Inspectorate of Agriculture and the State Inspectorate for Price Controls.

"The State Inspectorate of Agriculture should be liquidated, it is the successor of the bread inspectorate, which was established in the USSR," chief analyst of the Ukrainian Agrarian Association Maryan Zablotsky said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Friday.

According to him, it is also necessary to reduce the number of employees at the Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Food.

Zablotsky also said that the work of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences raises questions.

"Its report for 2012 indicates that it employs 99 academics, more than 300 doctors of sciences and 1,500 candidates. Over a year, they developed 63 programs and concepts for agribusiness development, but where are they?" said the expert.

Chairman of the Union of Poultry Breeders Oleksandr Bakumenko considers the existence of the State Inspectorate for Price Controls to be atavism.

"They control food and do not take into account prices for gas, logistics, electricity," he said.

Bakumenko said the existence of this authority affected the development of the bread industry.

"In the current situation we do not need this authority, and if it is necessary, its functions should include controls over national monopolies, at which basic prices are formed. But for this we have the Antimonopoly Committee," the expert said.