Rada allocates almost US$250 mln for renewed Ministry of Agrarian Policy

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, has supported the allocation of funds from the 2021 state budget to finance the restored Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food.

A total of 275 MPs supported at second reading and as a whole Bill No.5197-2 "On Amendments to the State Budget to Ensure the Activities of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy", with the required minimum of 226 votes, an UNIAN correspondent reports.

Read alsoExpert forecasts wheat harvest in Ukraine to exceed 27 million tonnes in 2021The bill states the amount of expenses for the restoration of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy will stand at UAH 6.86 billion (US$245 million), of which UAH 4.9 billion ($175 million) will be spent on the ministry's personnel.

The document proposes to redistribute funds between the Ministry for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources.

The Cabinet has been instructed to ensure that the ministry is headquartered at 24 Khreshchatyk Street in Kyiv.

Reboot of Agrarian Ministry: Background

On December 28, 2020, the Cabinet adopted a decision required to restore the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, which previously been part of the Ministry for Development of Economy, Trade, and Agriculture.

Prior to that, on December 17, the Verkhovna Rada appointed ex-head of the State Geocadastre, Roman Leshchenko, Minister for Agrarian Policy and Food.

The restart of the ministry's work had been repeatedly postponed.