Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Mykola Prysiazhniuk accentuated on this at the presentation of the program on social-economic development of rural territories “Native Village,” UKRINFORM reports.
“The main principle of the initiative “Native Village” is a principle of agricultural cooperation. A cooperative movement among small and medium-sized producers is one of efficient European instruments of stable development. Therefore, the project provides for shifting a focus of state support to medium-sized and small producers - those, who are the basis of the country's food security,” the government's official said.
According to him, small economies cannot compete with large economies by the prime cost and by means of production. Therefore, the state will support just the middle class in the village.
“Just cooperative groups allow including products made by farmers' and peasants' economies into a marketing chain, raising the value added tax of products, as well as improving the quality and safety of agricultural products,” the Minister noted.
According to the Minister, last year, in household economies 80% of milk was produced, 47% of meat, 99% of potatoes, and in addition, such economies hold 77% of cows, 56% of pigs and 47% of poultry. “This is a reserve, which we should use,” the government's official emphasized.
As reported, main provisions of the initiative were developed by the Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry jointly with the All-Ukrainian Association of village and settlement councils, branch public organizations, international experts and agrarian workers,and they are aimed at creation of agricultural cooperatives and support of small and medium-sized commodity producers by the state.
