“Improving the sustainability of the agricultural sector should take place in the entire value chain of agri-food production”, – said the Head of the European Integration Committee UCAB Oleksandra Avramenko during the panel discussion “War’s impact on food & agriculture: what challenges are Ukrainian and EU producers facing?” at the 4th International Sustainability Forum 2024. The event brought together business, governmental structures, the financial sector and the public of Ukraine and the EU in a discussion on green recovery of Ukraine.

Agriculture in Ukraine is a very large and important sector for the Ukrainian economy. Now we are perceived as an elephant, and we are doing our best to behave cautiously in the pottery shop - the European Union. However, we have been exporting to the EU for more than 10 years, accordingly, the new realities have not become sudden.

Since 2014, from the annexation of Crimea, the occupation of eastern Ukraine and the ban not only on the import but also on the transit of agro-food products through the russian federation, the Ukrainian agricultural sector has been forced to diversify its export markets.

Since then, the EU market has become one of the key export destinations for Ukrainian agri-food products. This led to the need to integrate not only production conditions and EU standards, but also the principles of sustainable development. Large companies started gradual implementation of new principles, which was associated with the attraction of foreign capital, which had certain requirements for obtaining funds or continuing cooperation and stimulated Ukrainian agribusiness to transition to European norms and standards.

Due to these changes, the agricultural sector has had to take into account the interests of all stakeholders involved in the agro-production and export process. As a consequence, for stakeholders to see the changes, it has become necessary not only to comply with the norms of sustainable development, but also to introduce accountability for ensuring this development.

According to recent studies by the World Bank, about 30% of emissions are generated by the agricultural sector. A significant part of this waste is generated not so much on the fields, but in production processes and after agricultural production (packaging, logistics, food waste, etc.). Therefore, raising awareness of sustainable production among farmers and all agricultural stakeholders is even more important.

“Increasing the level of sustainable development should take place in the entire production chain of agro-industrial complex products. This requires the involvement of all its players: producers, processors and suppliers of resources and services, as achieving results requires substantial resources - funding, technology, knowledge, understanding of opportunities to implement innovative practices. Accordingly, companies operating at local levels and not entering the EU markets still need to know how to make their activities more sustainable”, – summarized Oleksandra Avramenko. 

Thanks to the Association of Sustainable Development Experts (ASDE) for the excellent organization of the event and the opportunity to join the discussion!