An off-site meeting of the Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the topic "Logistical Routes for Exporting Domestic Agricultural Products by Land during Martial Law" took place in Volyn, VolynPost reports.
The Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy, Oleksandr Haydu, emphasized that the issue of exporting Ukrainian agricultural products is complicated due to various objective factors.
Oleksandr Haydu noted that exporters and businesses are still looking for alternative ways to deliver grain abroad.
"Regions that previously exported a minimum are now exporting large volumes, which places significant strain on infrastructure, roads, logistics, customs, and border services. We also had high hopes for railway routes, but we encountered problems with track gauge differences, as well as a lack of transshipment points in areas near Ukraine's borders with neighboring countries. We weren't prepared for this, but businesses quickly adapted. As of today, terminals are being constructed in Ternopil, Lviv, and Volyn to enable us to respond rapidly to current challenges," highlighted the Chairman of the parliamentary committee.
He also stressed the importance of constructing dry ports.
"Currently, two dry ports are being constructed in Volyn region. Their annual capacity will exceed 3 million tons. Previously, Volyn exported between 110,000 to 115,000 tons of grain. In the past marketing year, over 1.5 million tons were exported, and the capacity has already increased to 3.5 million," noted the parliamentarian.
The Head of the Volyn Regional Council, Hryhoriy Nedopad, expressed gratitude to the powerful agricultural producers in Volyn who are driving the development of dry port logistics in the region. He also highlighted a problem that requires joint efforts to resolve.
"I hope that together with the Members of Parliament, we can address the functioning of the Polish broad-gauge metallurgical branch LHS, which spans 400 km and reaches as far as the city of Katowice. Unfortunately, we are currently not allowed to operate on this branch. However, it will provide additional opportunities to build transshipment points and dry ports on the territory of the Republic of Poland, significantly contributing to increasing throughput capacities across Volyn, Lviv, and Zakarpattia Oblasts. This will expedite the export and transfer of our grain products to the territory of European countries and the world as a whole," emphasized Hryhoriy Nedopad.
During the committee hearings, Oleksandr Haydu also discussed the latest legislative initiatives of the relevant committee regarding state support for agriculture and the export of agricultural products during martial law.
