Ukraine has received significant international recognition: following a vote at the 44th session of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, Ukraine has been elected to the FAO Council, one of the highest governing bodies of the Organization, according to SEEDS.
Ukraine’s mandate in the Council will run from July 1, 2024, until the end of the next conference in 2027. This decision is a recognition of Ukraine’s role as a guarantor of global food security, despite the ongoing war with Russia.
Representative of Ukraine – Oleksii Pinchuk
Oleksii Pinchuk, Director of the Department of International Cooperation and European Integration of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, acted as the official representative of Ukraine. He headed the Ukrainian delegation at the Conference and delivered a national statement on behalf of the Government of Ukraine.
“Together with our international partners, we participated in setting the FAO agenda for the coming years, including countering disinformation and blocking harmful initiatives proposed by the Russian delegation. I am proud that Ukraine’s leadership, resilience, and values are recognized in the global agricultural arena,” Oleksiy Pinchuk said.
Key results for Ukraine
1. Election to the FAO Council
Ukraine has gained a seat among the 49 member countries of the FAO Council, the body that shapes the organization’s policies and strategies. The support for Ukraine’s candidacy demonstrates international confidence in Ukraine’s agricultural capacity.
2. Statement by the Government of Ukraine
30 June 2025, Rome, Italy. 30 June 2025, Rome, Italy. A group photo at the end of the Inaugural FAO Treaty Ceremony during the 3rd day of the 44th Session of the FAO Conference. FAO Headquarters (Plenary Hall).
Photo credit must be given: ©FAO/Pier Paolo Cito. Editorial use only
In its speech, the delegation emphasized:
3. Accession to the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA)
Ukraine has officially become a party to this international treaty aimed at combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. This is another step towards harmonizing Ukraine’s fisheries policy with international standards.
4. Active participation in shaping FAO policy
Ukraine joined the vote on the priorities for the FAO’s activities:
What does this mean for Ukraine’s agricultural sector?
This means a direct impact on global decisions:
Ukraine will be able to strengthen international assistance programs, in particular:
Looking ahead
Ukraine plans to:
“Ukraine’s election to the FAO Council is not just a symbolic gesture, but a real tool of influence that enables our country to promote the interests of farmers at the global level. In these difficult times of war, Ukraine remains an active participant in shaping international food policy,” commented Kateryna Zvereva, Development Director of the Ukrainian Fruit and Vegetable Association and international consultant to the FAO.
Official statement by Ukraine at the 44th session of the FAO Conference
During the session, the Ukrainian delegation delivered a comprehensive statement, which was read out by Oleksiy Pinchuk. It detailed:
• the scale of losses in the agricultural sector due to the war (over $84 billion),
• facts about Russia’s use of food as a weapon,
• Ukraine’s role as a responsible global partner — even in wartime,
• a call to the international community to support initiatives such as Grain from Ukraine,
• the importance of demining, innovation, and agricultural recovery.
The full text of Ukraine’s statement is available on the FAO’s official website at the link
AgriAcademy, a professional online education platform for Ukrainian agribusiness, has added two new free courses for farmers, created by experts from the Astarta-Kyiv agro-industrial holding. In June 2025, new training modules dedicated to the biological characteristics of corn and corn cultivation technologies became available on the AgriAcademy platform.
Course 1: “Corn. Biological characteristics of the crop”
The aim of the course is to provide farmers with a systematic understanding of:
Course 2: “Corn. Cultivation technology”
The aim of the course is to develop practical knowledge of agricultural technologies:
Both courses were developed by Pavlo Perkhalo, an experienced agronomist with over 10 years of practice at Astarta. Methodologist Svitlana Semenyuk and interactive materials designer Olga Veiler also contributed to the development of the courses.
Like all educational products on AgriAcademy, the new courses are free, available online at any time, and include a certificate upon successful completion.
As a reminder, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Astarta-Kyiv agricultural holding signed a partnership agreement in 2024 to develop distance learning for Ukrainian farmers.
The partnership provides for the creation of 25 online courses on the cultivation, storage, and processing of field crops.
In addition to the new training modules, previously created courses are also available on the platform: “Sunflower. Biological characteristics” and “Sunflower. Cultivation technology”.
AgriAcademy – training for Ukrainian farmers that is changing the industry
AgriAcademy is a free online training platform for agricultural workers and students of agricultural educational institutions, launched by the EBRD in December 2022 as part of its food security support program in Ukraine.
Its goal is to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainable development of agriculture, which has suffered significant losses due to the war.
Today, the platform offers 25 online courses — 300 hours of practical training in agronomy, management, technology, processing, storage, and more. Each course includes a knowledge test and certification for participants.
The platform is created and managed (including course development, study tours, etc.) with the support and funding of the EBRD, as well as:
We invite farmers to register on the platform and take practical courses at the link: https://agriacademy.org/courses-catalog
Astarta-Kyiv is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding in Ukraine, a public European company that conducts socially responsible business and produces food products for global markets.
The company was founded in 1993 by Viktor Ivanchyk, who remains its majority owner and CEO. Since 2006, Astarta’s shares have been listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
Main activities:
A new sectoral agreement with the Trade Union of Construction and Building Materials Industry Workers of Ukraine provides for a twofold increase in the minimum wage for construction workers, Deputy Prime Minister for Recovery and Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Kuleba has announced.
He noted that on Saturday in Borodianka, a new sectoral agreement was signed with the Trade Union of Construction and Building Materials Industry Workers of Ukraine. “This is a key document that defines the conditions for people who work every day on the construction of restoration facilities,” Kuleba said.
The agreement is valid for 2025–2027 and is binding for enterprises, institutions, and organizations working in the field of construction and production of building materials. “Collective agreements must be concluded or updated on its basis,” the deputy prime minister explained.
Kuleba listed the key provisions of the agreement:
– A new guaranteed tariff rate for workers has been set at 401% of the minimum subsistence level. This means that the minimum wage is now 12,142 hryvnia. The previous level was 231%, or 6,995 hryvnia.
– The agreement also includes provisions on occupational safety, qualification requirements, the organization of production processes, and legal protection for employees. Specific tools are provided for the legalization of employment, vocational training, and monitoring of the fulfillment of contractual obligations.
“A team from the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine, trade unions, contractors, construction material manufacturers, representatives of industry associations, experts, and the scientific community participated in the preparation of the document,” Kuleba said.
He is convinced that this position confirms our shared responsibility to the people. “To those who are rebuilding schools, hospitals, housing, and critical infrastructure with their own hands,” he emphasized.
The Deputy Prime Minister also added that the construction industry is currently one of the key sectors in the recovery process. “It determines the pace, scale, and quality of work being done across the country. And today, it is important to lay not only the infrastructure foundation, but also fair rules for those working on the sites,” he said.
The State Property Fund has announced an auction for the privatization of a 100% stake in the charter capital of Vinnytsiabytkhim, a private joint-stock company, on August 13, according to the press service of the State Property Fund of Ukraine.
According to the announcement, online bidding will take place in the Prozorro.Prozori electronic trading system with a starting price of UAH 301.4 million. The guarantee deposit is UAH 15.07 million, and the registration fee is UAH 80,000 (all figures are exclusive of VAT). The deadline for submitting bids for participation in the auction is August 12, inclusive (until 8:00 p.m.).
The property is located in Vinnytsia, at 4 Akademika Yangelya Street.
The main activity is the production of soap and detergents, cleaning and polishing products. The authorized capital is UAH 26,636,700.
The property consists of 25 units of real estate (buildings, structures, non-residential premises, etc.) with a total area of 31,364.2 square meters, located on four land plots with a total area of 4.1074 hectares.
PJSC Vinnytsiabychim has not entered into any lease agreements for its property.
According to the announcement, the new owner of the enterprise must maintain the main activities of the company and not allow the dismissal of employees during the first six months.
In addition, it must pay wage arrears and budget debts within six months, repay overdue accounts payable (except for debts to persons subject to sanctions), and comply with environmental legislation.
Vinnytsiabytkhim is included in the list of large privatization objects.
As reported, on July 31, 2024, the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) upheld the Ministry of Justice’s claim to impose sanctions on the Russian company Nevskaya Kosmetika in the form of confiscating 100% of the shares of the Ukrainian company Vinnytsiabutkhim to the state.
In July 2022, the seized assets of PJSC Vinnytsiabutkhim were transferred to the National Agency for the Detection, Investigation, and Management of Assets Derived from Corruption and Other Crimes (ARMA).
Following a competitive selection process in July 2023, the right to resume operations and become the asset manager was awarded to Kraitex-Service LLC, whose beneficiaries, according to Opendatabot, are Ruslan Shostak and Valery Kiptik, co-owners of the EVA and Varus chains. Later, Kraitex-Service announced that it would invest UAH 400 million in launching production at Vinnytsiabitim.
ARMA terminated its management of the asset in April 2025 and transferred it to the State Property Fund of Ukraine for further sale. According to the National Agency, during the period of management of the seized asset, almost UAH 100 million was transferred to the state budget.
As previously reported to Interfax-Ukraine by Afina Group, which includes Kraitex-Service LLC, the company is considering participating in a privatization auction for the acquisition of the production assets of PrP Vinnytsiaputkhim, which have been operating in the company’s production chain for the past two years. At the same time, Afina Group will not fight for the assets at any price, as it has a clear understanding of the limits of the feasibility of participating in competitive bidding.
For more information about PrVT Vinnytsiaputkhim, please visit: https://is.gd/VZVnkE
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) fined the Scientific and Production Enterprise Razrabotka. Energetika. Machine Building“ and LLC ”Scientific and Production Association “System Energy” for 5 million 232,633 thousand UAH for anti-competitive actions during tenders for the purchase of diesel fuel by the state-owned specialized economic enterprise (SSEE) “Lesa Ukrainy” in 2023.
According to the AMCU website, in 2023, SSE Lesy Ukrainy held a tender for the purchase of diesel fuel with an expected value of more than UAH 178 million, in which, in particular, NPP Razrabotka. Energetika. Mashinostroenie and NPO Sistema Energo took part.
“By its decision of July 3, 2025, the AMCU established that during their participation in the tender, NPP ”Development. Energy. Machine Building“ and NPO ”System Energy“ did not act independently, but coordinated their behavior with the aim of eliminating competition, which is a violation of the Law ”On
Protection of Economic Competition,” the committee stated.
At the same time, as noted by the AMCU, according to the Law “On Public Procurement,” the basis for refusal to participate in the procurement procedure is the fact that the business entity (participant) has been held liable for anti-competitive concerted actions related to the distortion of tender results within the last three years.
According to YouControl, the sole founder and ultimate beneficiary of NPP Razrabotka. Energetika. Mashinostroenie LLC, registered on October 19, 2023, in Kyiv with a charter capital of UAH 30,000, is Mykhailo Storozhuk with a 100% share.
In turn, the sole founder of NPO Sistema Energo LLC, with a charter capital of 10,000, is Alina Goncharuk, who also holds a 100% stake.
Individual entrepreneurs (FOPs) who work in Group 3 of the single tax system and do not have employees can now submit quarterly tax returns via “Diyu,” where the program will automatically calculate taxes and pull previous figures, according to Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science, and Technology and Head of the Ministry of Digital Transformation Mikhail Fedorov.
“We are currently working on a comprehensive overhaul of the tax payment service in Diya to make the process even more convenient. Stay tuned for updates,” Fedorov wrote on Telegram on Friday.
He clarified that the declaration is submitted by sole proprietors in the third group who are not VAT payers.
Fedorov reminded that the single tax for such persons is 5% of income, the military levy is 1% of income, and the unified social tax is 22% of the minimum wage. The military levy will be calculated automatically based on income.
The deadline for filing the declaration is August 11.
