OREANDA-NEWS. May 19, 2011. The government has begun a fundamental reform of agricultural market infrastructure in Ukraine. The Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov said this opening the session of the Cabinet of Ministers.

“The government has started a fundamental reform of agricultural market infrastructure: the construction of wholesale markets of agricultural products, greenhouse complexes, vegetable and fruit storages etc.", - Mykola Azarov emphasized.

He noted that over the last 20 years was almost completely minimized large production of potatoes and vegetables, vegetable stores infrastructure refrigerators fruit and vegetable bases that provide the population with such products was destroyed. So, today Ukraine has grown vegetables by 50% less than in Soviet times, and potatoes - even triple less.

The Prime Minister said that due to insufficient production and storage of fruits and vegetables domestic consumers have to buy imports, ie, we invest production and infrastructure of those countries from which we buy missing foodstuff.

“Because prices are usually substantially higher than domestic producers were able to offer if we were deliberately invested in manufacturing infrastructure and storage of vegetables and fruits”. - Prime Minister stressed. As a result, he added, retail prices for vegetable products and potatoes have a permanent tendency to growth. Thus, in the first decade of May prices increased: carrot is 3% (since the year beginning 26%), cabbage - 2% (since the year beginning - 122%), potatoes - by 1,5% (since the year beginning - 22 %).

“We will not tolerate with such a situation” - Mykola Azarov said. He added that the work aimed at agricultural market infrastructure reforming need considerable concentration of effort, energy and real action.