In the first four months 2013 agricultural production has increased in 19 regions. The highest increase was recorded in Vinnytsia region – 42.2 percent and Khmelnytsky region – 17 percent, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Prysiazhniuk told reporters Friday.

“January to April, the index of agricultural output, compared to the same period last year, has increased by 5.1 percent. The growth was for both farm companies – 9.7%, and households – 1.3 percent. So we see that the agricultural sector continues to increase production and confirms its status as a leader of the domestic economy. And we are doing everything to ensure that this positive trend continue in the future. For not only the country’s economy, but also the welfare of Ukrainians depends on that,” Prysiazhniuk noted.

In addition to increased production, Ukraine continues to successfully export agricultural products abroad, the minister said.

“Ukrainian farmers produce more agricultural products than consumed domestically. So for us it is important to find markets. And we successfully fulfill this task. For example, January to March, exports grew by 10.7 percent. Also during this period, the foreign trade turnover of agricultural production rose by 14.8 percent compared to the same period last year, amounting to UAH 6.4 billion,” the minister emphasized.

ukrinform