PM tells Ukrainian ministries to ensure required amount of diesel fuel for harvesting campaign

MOSCOW. June 8 (Interfax) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has tasked the country's relevant ministries and regional administrations to ensure the required amount of diesel fuel during the harvest gathering campaign.

"The sowing campaign was successful despite unprecedented challenges. According to data from the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, 75% of last year's cultivated areas were sown. Banks have issued 38.5 billion hryvni in loans as part of the "5-7-9" subsidized loans program intended to support agricultural producers, of them 24 billion hryvni as part of the state portfolio guarantees program," Ukrainian media outlets quoted Shmyhal as saying on social media.

The country's agricultural enterprises are again facing external challenges, he said.

"First, it is the need to export the harvest. The Infrastructure Ministry is working out measures to increase the throughput capacity of Ukraine's western border, because 23.5 million tonnes of grain and oilseed crops are trapped in the country because of the blockade of the Ukrainian ports," he said.

The second challenge is to safeguard the new harvest, the prime minister said.

"The Ministry of Agrarian Policy is considering the possibility of organizing mobile storage facilities based on international experience. This will allow Ukraine to increase storage volumes by 10 million-15 million tonnes," Shmyhal said.

The third challenge is to provide agricultural enterprises with required amounts of fuel.

"During the meeting, I told the ministries in charge of these issues and the military-civilian administrations to ensure the necessary amount of diesel fuel during the harvest gathering campaign," he said.