Lengthy drought in Ukraine’s south and rains with floods in the country’s western regions have caused a record drop in agricultural production. In June, crop farming slid by 56.8 percent compared to the same period last year. Still, the government made not a single step to help farmers, OPPOSITION PLATFORM – FOR LIFE MP Serhiy Lovochkin says.

“While the decline rate in the sector was 2 percent over the first five months of the year, by end of June the sector dropped by 18.7 percent, the worst ever in Ukraine’s history,” Lovochkin said.

The MP noted that according to the State Statistics Service, the decline of crop farming production was the main factor in the sector slide.

“The decline in agriculture production has been recorded in most regions of Ukraine, but the Odesa region suffered the most. The agriculture production here dropped by two thirds in the first six months of 2020 (compared to the same period in 2019), including by 85.9 percent in crop farming. Many farms of the region have lost between 80 and 100 percent of the crop, and total loss is estimated between 6.5 billion and 15 billion hryvnia,” the opposition politician said.

He reminded that the State Emergency Service of Ukraine has named the drought in the Odesa region a natural emergency of state level, but the government continues imitating support for key sectors of economy by drafting slides and making vain promises.

“Ukraine desperately needs to launch efficient multichannel tools of state support for agriculture sector of the economy. Without this support, we might lose our agriculture potential,” Lovochkin said.