Crop intervention procurement unrealistic for Ukraine right now – minister
Russia's blockade of maritime exports of agricultural products has created such a large surplus on the market that the use of an intervention purchasing mechanism is currently impossible, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotsky told reporters in Kyiv on November 12.
Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Taras Vysotsky, has stated that a crop intervention procurement program is currently unfeasible due to Russia's blockade of agricultural exports. The blockade has resulted in a significant oversupply of grain and oilseeds on the global market, making the use of intervention purchasing impossible at present.
The minister explained that without sales of these surplus products, Ukraine could see its carryover grain stocks increase from 10 million tonnes as of July 2026 to up to 30 million tonnes by July 2027, a size that is more than double the domestic market demand. Furthermore, the minister noted that the funds required to purchase such large quantities of grain are not currently available.
At a price of UAH 9,000 per tonne of grain, purchasing 20 million tonnes would necessitate UAH 180 billion, which is not on hand. The intervention purchasing mechanism, traditionally used for short-term price regulation and requiring the sale of purchased products within the following marketing year, is currently not a viable option due to the lack of a clear prospect for resuming maritime exports next year.
If such measures were taken, the minister warned, all available farmland would be sown again in the spring, potentially leading to another significant harvest and a need for further grain purchases if the ports remain non-operational.
Written by urgent.news from Interfax-Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
