The Ukrainian agricultural sector is awaiting the EU's final decision on duty-free exports. Denys Marchuk, the UAC Deputy Chairman, explained what goods are involved and whether the preliminary decision agreed upon within the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Trade Committee is beneficial for Ukraine.

"The decision on duty-free exports of Ukrainian agricultural products to the EU has not yet been approved and needs to be ratified by the European Parliament. This is another agreement within the European Commission, the European Parliament and the EU Trade Committee. Their vision of the situation was published in late March. And we have a not very favorable moment. In March, it was said that the calculations would be based on export volumes in 2022-2023, and accordingly, the emergency brakes that will be applied to food products from Ukraine will be calculated on the average based on these data. Today, it is noted that the figures for the second half of 2021 will also be taken into account, which means that the export volume will be based on 2.5 years, and this is disadvantageous for Ukraine. The peak years of exports were 2022-2023, when Ukraine managed to increase its export potential. And if we add the second half of 2021, we will see financial constraints - Ukraine will not receive EUR1 billion, and these funds could be used for the country's defense," the UAC Deputy Chairman said.

It will take some time to determine and approve the details of the new agreement on exports from Ukraine to the EU.

"In April, we are expecting the European Parliament to vote and determine the final list of products to which export restrictions from Ukraine will be applied. These include cereals, oats, sugar, corn, eggs, chicken, and honey. It is also planned to introduce additional control over wheat supplies. There are many myths in Europe that Ukrainian products are of poor quality and can harm the health of Europeans. We also need to work on this and conduct explanatory work," added Denys Marchuk.