Ukrainian farmers' exports in the eight months of 2016 were estimated at $9.1 billion / Photo from UNIAN
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman says economic growth in Ukraine is impossible without value-added production.
"We produce raw materials, export them, buy equipment from abroad. I don't know how long the state can live this way. If we don't resume domestic [agricultural] production, if we don't increase the decree of processing and don't create value-added products, we won't be able to ensure qualitative economic growth," the government's press service quoted Groysman as saying.
The Ukrainian prime minister says that local farmers should be able to introduce innovations in production and export processed produce without obstacles.
Read alsoGroysman: Ukraine ready for start of European Investment Bank projects"As prime minister, I'm interested in deeper processing while you produce your commodities. I am interested in your becoming exporters while using opportunities of cooperation for small farms. I'm interested in the saturation by you of the Ukrainian market and in your winning of positions in the international arena," he stressed.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian farmers' exports in the eight months of 2016 were estimated at $9.1 billion, which accounted for 40.1% of the country's total exports in the period under review.
Ukrainian farmers export mainly raw farming produce with the minimum level of processing.