OREANDA-NEWS. October 26, 2010. In Ukraine the volume of food intake exceeds the needs of the domestic market. The Agriculture Minister Nikolai Prysyazhnyuk said that during a briefing.

"This year was abnormal, of course, these anomalies affected the yield of all crops in our country ... But it does not say that there are certain crises in the availability of forage. Production reduction of agricultural products does not reach any critical value so we could have any trepidation or were actively searching for the import of certain food products" - Mykola Prysiazhniuk emphasized.

According to the Minister of Agricultural Industry, this year buckwheat production volume is scheduled for 162 thousand tons, taking into account the amount of consumption in recent years - 140 thousand tons; 2.9 million tons of vegetable oil will be produced while the domestic consumption makes 0,7 million tons. "This means that more than 2 million tons of oil we will export" - he said and added that Ukraine in the segment of oil exports occupies more than 60%: "It says that on foreign markets we are dominating in that segment."

Mykola Prysyazhnyuk said that sugar production to date is planned in the amount of 2 million tons, while consumption is 1,8 million tons. The Minister noted that Ukraine has a quota on imports of raw sugar in the amount of 260 thousand tons. He also said that on Wednesday during a meeting of the Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov with the Head of the Russian Federation Government Vladimir Putin it is scheduled to consider the possibility of export of Ukrainian sugar to Russia in 2011. "I am convinced that the opening of sugar exports is important for us and this is one of the factors stimulating the sugar industry" - the Minister said.

Mykola Prysyazhnyuk also noted that the vegetable production is planned at 7.3 million tons, while the consumption makes 5.5 million tons, 18 million tonnes of potatoes will be produced when consumption makes 6 million tons, eggs - 16 billion pieces, while traditionally consumption in recent years makes 12.9 billion pieces. "Our manufacturers have permanent contracts for the export of eggs and powder produced from it, and that is quite positive, because for today our task is, if we are reforming the agriculture, the food and agricultural products export expansion. That is one of the main components" - the official underlined.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Agrarian Industry said today that Ukraine remains import dependent in the segment of food like meat. "We have not overcome this tendency today. Import volumes, of course, would be reduced by increasing the production of pork and poultry, but full independence from imports we did not obtain. The task of the Government is to create programmes for next year with motivation to increase production of meat, including poultry" Mykola Prysiazhniuk said.