KYIV. Oct 27 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The development of deep processing of agricultural products in Ukraine can solve the problem of the raw material problem of the country's economy and create a powerful economic effect even before the victory over the Russian invaders, and in order to restore the economy after the war, investments in this industry should be made now, the president of the UkrBiotechno association and adviser at the National Investment Council under the President of Ukraine for Economic Projects and Investments, Oleksandr Batatin, has said.

"If we process 50% of exported agricultural raw materials, this will create a powerful economic effect: plus 5% of GDP annually, plus $30 billion in foreign exchange earnings annually. This is almost 30,000 additional jobs and about $2 billion in annual direct fiscal revenues to the budget, and also the growth of added value and profitability in the agricultural sector," Batatin said during a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Thursday.

He also recalled the raw material model of the Ukrainian economy, in which 80% of the harvest of the main crops (wheat, corn, rapeseeds, soybeans, etc.) is exported to other countries instead of the development of agricultural processing enterprises in Ukraine and related industries.

In turn, vice president of the association Oleksandr Malytsky said development of industrial processing in the agro-industrial complex is directly related to the restoration of Ukraine from the consequences of the military aggression of the Russian Federation with the help of the EU and the G7 countries. He recalled the statement of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the International Expert Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine on October 25, announcing the start of the development of a plan for the restoration and modernization of the Ukrainian economy after the end of the war.

"In his introduction at the opening of the conference, Scholz noted that the restoration of the Ukrainian economy should be dealt with right now, despite the ongoing aggression of the Russian Federation. The war will end, and by then we will have certain projects and developments and will accept investments that will be attracted within the framework of the developed for Ukraine "Marshall Plan of the 21st century"," Malytsky said.

For his part, the head of UkrBiotechno stressed that the association he leads is engaged in attracting and advising foreign and Ukrainian investors in agricultural processing.

"We broadcast ideas where foreign and domestic investors can safely enter. We have all the indicators on the raw material balance in Ukraine, we have a map of economic geography, we see in which regions and areas and in what quantity we can build factories. Our goal - so that in Ukraine in 7-10 years there will be at least 30 enterprises for the deep processing of agricultural products," Batatin said.

During the press conference, he presented several examples of investment projects in the field of agricultural processing, in particular:

- a complex for deep processing of up to 300,000 tonnes of corn per year into ethanol, dry stillage, corn oil and liquefied carbon dioxide (estimated investments - $85 million, revenue - $85 million/year);

- a plant for the production of citric acid with a processing capacity of up to 65,000 tonnes of raw materials per year (investment - $100 million, revenue - $120 million/year);

- a complex for processing up to 250,000 tonnes of corn/year into glucose monohydrate (investment - $90 million, revenue - $110 million/year);

- a biodiesel plant with a processing capacity of up to 300,000 tonnes of rapeseed/year (investment - $115 million, revenue - $130 million/year);

- production of yeast extract from up to 60,000 tonnes of beet molasses/year (investment - $40 million, revenue - $55 million/year).

UkrBiotechno specializes in industrial biotechnologies based on the use of bacteria, enzymes and yeast, which process agricultural raw materials into bioenergy resources, chemical compounds and consumer products. The association is engaged in the activities of the agro-industrial complex, which allow obtaining products with high added value - first of all, this is the deep processing of grains and oilseeds, the conversion of beet molasses, and the processing of fruits.

According to Malytsky, the association's key areas of work are outreach activities on the UkrBiotechno website about the essence of industrial biotechnologies and the product line that can be developed with their help. The organization also intends to hold a specialized conference on December 7, 2022, where it will bring together Ukrainian representatives of the biotechnology industry and their Western colleagues to exchange experiences and present projects of enterprises in the field of deep agricultural processing.

He also said that the association will provide qualified assistance and expert advice to companies that have joined it on the practical application of industrial biotechnologies, including when choosing an agricultural processing product to create an appropriate production, choosing technological solutions for such an enterprise, searching for equipment suppliers, etc. cooperation will allow businessmen to avoid strategic mistakes when planning and building enterprises with outdated or incorrectly selected technologies, as well as help to avoid partnerships with unscrupulous or incompetent companies.

"We are confident that the creation of such an association of industrial biotechnologies will bring maximum benefit to the country, and we hope to make a solid contribution to the plans for the restoration, modernization and development of the Ukrainian economy," Malytsky said.