After the economic recession caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 60-65% of milk processing enterprises resumed work, even in the conditions of hostilities, the industry is able to meet domestic demand, so importing milk into the country is not advisable.
This opinion was published on the website of the profile association “Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine” (SMPU) on Thursday.
According to her, the import of dairy products to Ukraine is inappropriate, since the resumption of the work of two-thirds of the enterprises of the industry, taking into account the stocks of dairy products intended for export, the supply of which disrupted the hostilities, makes it possible to meet the needs of the domestic market.
In addition, the association predicts that the production of raw milk in Ukraine per capita in 2022 will grow by 8% compared to 2021 – up to 229 kg from 212 kg.
At the same time, the SMPU recalls that after the start of the war, the Cabinet of Ministers included military goods, meat and edible offal, milk and dairy products, vegetables, nuts and a number of other goods on the list of critical imports. “However, the SMPU believes that there is no need to import milk. After all, even in the conditions of war, the dairy industry of Ukraine continues to work and fully supplies the country with high-quality dairy products. Therefore, the inclusion of dairy products in the lists of critical imports is a useless waste of precious foreign exchange funds,” the statement emphasizes. message.
In addition, according to the association, competition with imported “milk” will lead to a reduction in production by Ukrainian dairies and, accordingly, to a decrease in milk production.
“The government should support Ukrainian dairy producers. Now one of the main tasks of the state is to preserve the number of cows and the dairy industry. Therefore, SMPU insists on removing dairy products from the list of critical imports,” the organization said in a statement.
As reported, on February 28, the Cabinet of Ministers significantly expanded the list of critical imports. It includes meat and meat by-products, milk and dairy products, poultry eggs, natural honey, vegetables and edible root crops and tubers, fruits and nuts, coffee, tea, spices, cereals, wheat and wheat-rye flour, soybeans, juices. and plant extracts.
