Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal expects that the opening of a land market in the country will bring $85 billion of additional GDP in 10 years, and the average cost of land per 1 ha will increase fivefold.
“Ukraine has underutilized its land potential of $85 billion. In 29 years, free disposal of land has been limited, which means that its value has been underestimated several times. During this time, more than 5 million hectares of land have disappeared from the state. Development of irrigation and investment in agriculture has slowed down for decades, and partially stopped at all,” the prime minister said during the presentation of the Audit of the Ukrainian economy and vectors of economic development until 2030 in Kyiv on Friday.
According to the published document entitled “Audit of the Economy of Ukraine”, the fair value of Ukrainian land is currently $4,960 per hectare with a standard monetary value of $955 per hectare (2018).
At the same time, since the model of the land market adopted by the government has several fundamental restrictions (a ban on legal entities from buying land until 2024, a complete ban for foreigners, restrictions on the maximum areas to purchase), the price of land will not reach its fair value in the near future.
Thus, according to the land market model adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers, the price of one hectare is predicted to increase to $2,350 in the tenth year after the implementation of the reform.
Untapped potential of using water, forest resources in Ukraine is $12 bln, $40 bln respectively – PM.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Policy could appear in the government of Ukraine in a week.
“We decided to reinstate such a position as Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Policy … We have already seen many really professional people. Now we are choosing the best candidate. Because for us both the country’s industry, the defense industry, the space industry, and all our enterprises, as one of the best candidates for this position said, is the country’s development strategy. For the country to really be industrial, to be a space country,” he said at a meeting with business representatives of Odesa region on Saturday.
Zelensky pointed out that in Ukraine there is a full cycle at many enterprises in order to build an industrially powerful country.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during Freedom of Speech of Savik Shuster program on Ukraine TV Channel later on Friday presented a brief strategy of gradual weakening of the quarantine for the period from early May by early July.
He also promised to report a more detailed plan, which is now being drawn up, in three or four weeks.
“This plan is under work, in fact we are working over it round the clock. As soon as it is ready and improved, it will be immediately presented to the public. Believe me, it would be one of the best [plan] among our neighboring states. It has credit holidays, and refinancing of loans, support for poor and unemployed,” the premier said.
According to his brief strategy, the first quarantine step called “Ukraine is going to work” is foreseen for early May – early June.
It involves the creation of 500,000 jobs, credit support for small and medium-sized businesses, partial removal of restrictions on public transport and a shifted work schedule.
The second stage named “New standards of social life” is scheduled for early June-early July.
During this period, it is planned to complete the 2019-2020 school year, restore the operation of public transport according to the new rules, allow access to recreation areas, subject to safety standards, and to weaken isolation conditions for older people.
Shmyhal emphasized that while Ukraine should adhere to the emergency regime in order to pass the epidemic according to the optimistic scenario with a drop in GDP to 5%, and not according to the pessimistic one, in which GDP fall is estimated at 15%.
In this emergency mode, according to the presentation presented by the prime minister, it is planned to support socially vulnerable segments of the population, to help the unemployed and those on forced leave, to mobilize medical resources and to support the medical staff and all those involved in the fight against the epidemic.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal believes that the possibility of selling land to foreigners or foreign companies should be decided exclusively at an all-Ukrainian referendum.
“The possibility of selling land to foreigners or foreign companies should be decided exclusively and solely at an all-Ukrainian referendum,” Shmyhal said on air of The Right to Power program on the 1+1 television channel on Thursday evening.
At the same time, the prime minister emphasized that Ukrainians should have the right and opportunity to dispose of their land. “As for the issue of the possibility of selling state land, this is a matter of discussion in parliament,” the prime minister said.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk has said he hopes that a large-scale building of roads will start on March 1, 2020.
“Since March 1, a large-scale building [of roads] to start…This year it is necessary to prepare for the most early start of the season. We, in turn, will try to complete all the procedures by this moment,” he said during a press conference Roads UA 2020 in Kyiv on Monday.
He also asked the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) to favor this.
“We know that there are certain difficulties, that someone is doing stupid things: disputes every second tender in the Antimonopoly Committee. We ask the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine do not accept such a model of behavior. Respond by the quick, honest work,” Honcharuk added.
The Ukrainian economy will leap forward in 2021, while 2020 will be the year of preparations for this, according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk.
“We expect this year to be the year of inventory and personnel renewal, and the next to prepare for the economic leap. We should launch the economy, should have new jobs and production,” Honcharuk said on Freedom of Speech program in the evening on Monday.
According to the head of government, in 2020, the number of civil servants will be reduced by at least 10%.
“But we anticipate the main savings thanks to IT tools, modern databases… We as a state now operate with terribly inaccurate data… Sometimes we, as a state, make decisions blindly. Next year we should have a database that shows for example, how many pupils, students we have,” he said.
He also added that a census planned for 2020 can also be done using online tools.
“Now we are looking for the opportunity of conducting a census as much as possible taking into account online tools, that is, to encourage people to fill out information about themselves online,” Honcharuk said.
