OREANDA-NEWS. February 17, 2012. Ukrainian agriculture, excluding dotations, is one of the most profitable among neighboring countries and the EU and the main merit for this is a merit of local individual farmers. This was stressed by Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Prysyazhnyuk on February 14 at the XII Congress of Association of farmers and private landowners of Ukraine.

According to the Minister for 2011 year agroindustrial complex of Ukraine managed to increase volumes of foreign trade and expand the geography of international relations.

"Last year Ukraine exported to the European Union agricultural products worth 2.8 billion, of which corn was only 30%. And export trade balance with Russia, was 3.5 billion dollars. This suggests that our products are in demand, gaining foreign markets and we must continue to work in the same direction" - the Minister said.

Such high figure Ukraine is able to reach thanks to individual farmers and farm enterprises, Mykola Prysyazhnyuk believes.

"If you take away dotations that are in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and the EU, our agriculture is one of the most profitable. And thanks to individual farmers and farm enterprises" - Mykola Prysyazhnyuk noted.