Ukraine currently has access to export products in 340 trade areas of agricultural products, and plans to open 240 more markets in the next five years, said Serhiy Tkachuk, head of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection.
“We are one of the key state agencies responsible for opening new markets: we work with more than 60 countries on plant and animal products. We intend to open 240 new markets within five years. At the same time, the process of our country’s integration into the EU continues. And if we look at Chapter 12 on food security, veterinary and phytosanitary policy, it alone accounts for 19% of the requirements that Ukraine faces in general. So, there is a lot of work to be done, but we will manage, because we are responsible to our defenders and future generations,” the Ministry’s press service quoted him as saying at the Kyiv International Forum.
Tkachuk also reminded that the service is one of the key players in opening new international markets for Ukrainian business, as it is responsible for controlling 100% of Ukrainian agricultural exports.
“Implementation of EU requirements is now a priority for Ukraine. But at the same time, it is important for us to defend our own interests – the interests of Ukrainian business, first and foremost. In particular, our tasks now include maintaining stable trade with partner countries, removing barriers to exports, lifting restrictions on exports of certain products, and simplifying certification and transit procedures,” he added.
The Head of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection also spoke about the digitalization of all processes and services of the agency. “According to him, the digitalization will reduce the time for obtaining permits from 5-20 days to 1-5 days. In addition, certain services, such as capacity registration, will be provided in real time, i.e. within a few minutes.
“It will be possible to apply for services online, without unnecessary trips, queues and stop documents, as well as to see the status of the service in your own online user account; see all inspections and their results; and pay for services easily through a single system with automatic generation of payment documents,” Tkachuk said.
