OREANDA-NEWS. August 12, 2010. The Minister of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine Mykola Prisyazhnyuk says that in Ukraine there is no threat to food security. He said that today at a briefing in the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

"For today the threats to food security for the country concerning the grain provision in Ukraine does not exist. The situation on the grain market of our country is stable and calm. There are no internal factors to cause concern about food security and rising the bread price" – Mykola Prysiazhniuk said.

He added that as for today the harvest and early winter crops are in the final stage, and harvest levels meet international standards.

However, as the Minister said, there is a need to resolve the issue of grain purchase by Agrarian Fund of Ukraine: "This is a strategically important issue, which will resolve once and forever the problem of quotas and export control".

According to him there are funds for procurement in the Agricultural fund, but there is a need to improve the procedure of purchase. Mykola Prisyazhnyuk recalled that national legislation provides for 45-day deadline for the tender for the purchase of grain: "But now, to ensure food security we cannot wait 45 days, for the purchase of grain yield issues in 2010 is critical. Therefore, today, I submitted to the Government the issue of defining a single purchaser of grain to Agrarian Fund. I think that issue will be solved, and the Agrarian Fund will go to the market to buy grain for nearly 5 billion UAH".

Furthermore, according to Mykolai Prisyazhnyuk, representatives of grain manufacturers, grain traders and bakers have appealed to the Ministry with a request to work out and sign a memorandum on cooperation to ensure food security, bread price stability, and performance of export contracts.