Despite the statements about economic growth, industrial production in Ukraine in 2017 declined. MP from the Opposition Bloc Serhiy Lovochkin requires the government to take measures aimed at halting the decline in production in the industrial sector. He wrote about this in a deputy request, sent to Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman.

“I urgently require to take comprehensive and systemic measures aimed at cessation the decline in production in the industrial sector, leading to an aggravation of the problems of non-payment of wages and increasing unemployment,” written in the request.

Serhiy Lovochkin cited data according to which in 2017 industrial production in Ukraine decreased by 0.1% compared with 2016. Consequently, in his opinion, statements about last year’s successes in restoring economic and industrial growth are unfounded, because they are based on manipulation of statistics and a low base of comparison of previous years. In fact, the volume of industrial production last year amounted to only 79.6% of this indicator in 2013 (excluding Crimea and the ATO zone).

The worst situation is in the extractive industry (-5.8% for 2017) and fuel and energy complex (-6.5%). At the same time, coal production was 16% less, and coke production was 18.5% less than in 2016.

A serious state of affairs persisted in the metallurgical sector, which enterprises last year reduced metal ore mining by 6.3%, and the output of metallurgical products by 0.4%.

“The crisis situation deepened at the enterprises of transport engineering. Domestic shipbuilders, who in the late 1980s annually launched 50-60 commercial vessels and 10-12 warships, now have one-off small contracts and survive mainly due to repair work. A similar situation exists in the aircraft building industry, where production is practically at the zero mark,” the MP said.

Also, according to his information, last year the production of certain types of products in the light industry, pharmaceutical, electronic, electromechanical and mechanical industries, production of construction materials continued to decline.

The prolonged decline in industrial production has led to an exacerbation of many socially significant problems. First and foremost, it is an increase in wage arrears and an increase in unemployment, which together contribute to the deterioration of social security of citizens and provoke the growth of poverty in Ukraine. And 78% of the debts falls on industry.

“One of the main reasons for the long negative dynamics in the industrial sector is the lack of a systematic approach to the formation of state industrial policy, which should include a clear comprehensive vision of the prospects of the domestic industry, top priorities for its development, effective tools to support highly competitive segments of industry,” Serhiy Lovochkin emphasized.