Thumbs up from the World’s Politicians and Celebrities for China International Import Expo (CIIE) – Trofimtseva, the Vice Minister of Agriculture of Ukraine, was interviewed as follows.

Trofimtseva said that Ukrainian producers and exporters, especially those in the food and agriculture sector, are very interested in this import expo to be held in Shanghai in 2018. The Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture would like to participate in the expo with vigorous preparation. A “Board of Directors for the Expo” has also been set up to formulate a plan.

China-Ukraine agricultural trade spots a good basis for cooperation.

Trophimtseva says that in the first 11 months of 2017, the bilateral trade volume of agricultural products between China and Ukraine exceeded 1 billion US dollars. This is an impressive figure, but it is without doubt that we can do better. At present, Ukrainian exports to China are mainly cereals, rapeseed oil and other kinds of oil, dairy products and meat. Producers of processed foods such as dairy products, meat, oil, cereal and organic food will participate in the import expo.

Exports of agricultural products to China will be more diversified.

Trophimtseva says that currently, five or six commodities occupy 95% of Ukrainian exports to China, so the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture is working closely with Chinese partners to achieve a more diversified bilateral trade structure. At the same time, “we will actively cooperate with the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine in order to broaden markets for Ukrainian agricultural products and new producers.” The list of Ukrainian agricultural products exported to China will be more diversified, including fruit, vegetables, dairy products and meat. In May 2017, China and Ukraine signed the Protocol on the Quarantine and Veterinary Sanitary Conditions for Ukrainian Frozen Beef Exported to China. After some official procedures are completed, Ukrainian beef will again be officially sent to China. It is believed that more beef will be exported from Ukraine to China.

Trophimtseva expresses her gratitude to their Chinese partners. She says that bilateral cooperation between China and Uzbekistan has significantly increased in the past few years. The Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture and the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine have maintained positive talks. The delegations of both sides also frequently visit each other. This has laid a good foundation for future bilateral trade development, and for extensive cooperation in the field of agricultural products.

A glance at Ukrainian agriculture

Ukraine has abundant arable and fertile land. The country has more than 40 million hectares of agricultural land, accounting for nearly 70% of the country's total land area, and more than 200 certified organic farms. Most of the country has a temperate continental climate, adequate water resources, and convenient irrigation facilities, and is thus suitable for agricultural production. About 3 million Ukrainians work on farms.

        400,000 hectares of certified organic land

        World’s No. 1 exporter and producer of sunflower oil 

Ukraine is the world's second largest exporter of cereals and is witness to 10% of global grain exports. In the past 10 years, the output has increased by 70%. In 2016, Ukraine produced 66.1 million tons of cereals and beans and exported 44.4 million tons. Ukraine is currently the fourth largest exporter of corn and the sixth largest exporter of wheat flour in the world.

More than 100 countries import poultry from Ukraine. Ukraine is a major producer of eggs and poultry. Ukraine ranks tenth in the world in terms of egg production, and ranks third in Europe and seventh in the world in terms of poultry exports.

Ukraine also produces a large quantity of honey, ranking first in Europe and third in the world. Its honey is exported to various countries. In the past 10 years alone, its export volume of honey increased 9.5 fold.

Over the years, Ukraine’s crop production has been 1.5-2 times its domestic demand on average. Therefore, crop yields are exported to other regions aside from those necessary for self-sufficiency. The data shows that currently 281 companies export their products to EU countries.