OREANDA-NEWS. March 18, 2013. The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will continue to work on development of projects in the Ukrainian agricultural sector. The EBRD is to invest in Ukrainian businesses.

These issues were discussed during a meeting of the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Prysyazhnyuk and EBRD Director for Agribusiness Gilles Mettetal.

During the meeting, Mykola Prysyazhnyuk stressed on the importance of the projects financed by the EBRD in Ukraine for the development of the domestic agricultural sector.

"I am pleased that all the projects that you support in the agricultural sector of Ukraine by lending are successful. And every year the line of agricultural products, which are produced by Ukrainian enterprises credited by the Bank, is expanding. It is very important," Mykola Prysyazhnyuk noted.

Mykola Prysyazhnyuk also informed Gilles Mettetal that during visit to France and the meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry of France Stephane Le Foll a "Grain twenty" was discussed. The world's largest grain producers should enter this organization. According to Mykola Prysyazhnyuk, Ukraine is preparing to join this initiative.

Gilles Mettetal expressed support for the initiative of the Minister of Agriculture of France to create a "Grain twenty" of world grain producers, and Ukraine would take the important place in this organization. He also noted the high level of Ukrainian companies with which the Bank cooperates.

He recalled that the total volume of EBRD investments into the agricultural business in Ukraine today is more than USD1.5 billion.

The parties agreed to further cooperate in the production of grain, poultry and engineering. Participants also discussed the implementation of joint projects in the sugar refining, agricultural leasing, as well as livestock, particularly dairy brunch.