Ukraine government continues livestock support
Mykola Prysyazhnyuk, minister of agrarian policy and food, announced a record allocation of UAH650m (US$80.4m) from the state budget to be invested in development programmes.
Subsidies for livestock in Ukraine are growing each year – in 2011 it was about UAH600m (US$74.2m) and in 2012 around UAH635m (US$78.5m). With the help of state aid, the country could overcome 2012’s early livestock crisis and increase the rates of meat production.
Prysyazhnyuk said: “Ukrainian livestock is revived – confirmed by a positive trend in 2012, when the numbers of cattle increased by 10%, pigs by 8% and poultry by 20%.
“Villagers realised that animal farming is a profitable business and that the state helps. Existing state support programmes for the livestock industry gave considerable impetus to the revival of animal husbandry. So these programmes will be continued in 2013.”
He said the funds would be used to provide special grants towards the maintenance of young cattle and producing modern livestock facilities.
In addition, according to the minister, the 2013 state budget provided funds for a new type of subsidy to rear and maintain young sheep, which should also give impetus to the development of domestic sheep breeding.
