Round Table Discussion on the Agricultural Sector

From the left to right: people's deputies of Ukraine Nikolay Shershun, Valeriy Baranov, Yekaterina Vashchuk, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Chairman Vladimir Litvin and people's deputy of Ukraine from Party of Regions Grigoriy Kaletnik during the Round Table Discussion on the Agricultural Sector in Kiev, on Wednesday, March 2, 2011. The participants of the hearings stated that lifting of the moratorium should protect the domestic producers from the possible negative consequences of an open turnover of agricultural lands. The mechanism of a long-term government credit accommodation for the agricultural producers is an essential prerequisite of an open land market in Ukraine. The participants of the hearings drew attention to the defective mechanism of land auctions for the right to the lease of land plots. The speakers believe that traditional lack of floating assets results in the situation, when "powerful financial circles obtain the right for lease, being interested in getting maximum profit from the agricultural production, and not investing any part of this profit in the support and development of the rural infrastructure." Photo by Anastasia Sirotkina / POOL / UNIAN