Andriy Dykun, the founder of the SaveUA Foundation and the Ukrainian Agri Council, held meetings in Lithuania with politicians and farmers to thank them for their political support of Ukraine and humanitarian aid during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
During the meeting in the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, Chairman of the Committee on Economic Affairs, Kazis Starkevičius, opened the meeting with the words of Stepan Bandera: "When people choose bread and freedom, they eventually lose everything, including bread. If people choose freedom, they will have bread grown by themselves and not taken away by anyone."
"Ukrainians have chosen freedom, so they remain with bread and with the world's support. We, Lithuanians, are sure that if it were not for your struggle, there would have been occupiers on our territory. Therefore, Ukraine's victory is Lithuania's victory. We also understand how important the agricultural sector is for Ukraine, and that our common enemy is using food security in its fight against the whole world, blackmailing and threatening with famine," said Mr. Starkevicius.
The Committee Chairman emphasized that the Russians are doing everything possible to disrupt grain exports from Ukraine, and the transit of agricultural products from Ukraine has become particularly difficult after Poland and some other countries in the region suspended imports due to fears of falling grain prices in their countries.
"We are in constant communication with the Ukrainian Agri Council. Together with the authorities and the UAC, we are looking for ways to solve the logistical problems of grain transportation in Ukraine, and a number of joint events were organized to discuss them in various formats. We hope that by working together we will be able to find the best solutions," said Mr. Starkevicius.
According to Andriy Dykun, founder of the SaveUA charity foundation, three main conditions could significantly improve the situation in Ukraine: "green" transit corridors, logistics subsidies and intervention grain purchases.
"It's a shame, but today Ukrainian grain barely crosses the border with Poland, there are not enough inspectors in Poland, and the entire logistics process takes a lot of time. We want grain to be able to go directly to Lithuanian and German ports. Ukraine could transport 2 million tons, but we only transport 500-600 thousand tons. For Ukrainian farmers who cannot export grain across the Black Sea, the most important thing is that their products reach European ports, and this is impossible without subsidies. Today, the losses from the existing logistics are very high, so it is unprofitable to export Ukrainian goods through European ports without subsidies," says Andriy Dykun.
According to the head of the Foundation and the Ukrainian Agri Council, Ukraine remains a global agricultural leader despite the war, with more than 400 million people in dozens of countries depending on its agricultural products, but now more than ever Ukraine needs the help of its allies to maintain global food security.
The participants of the meeting agreed that if all three points identified by the head of the Ukrainian Agri Council are implemented, Ukraine will receive money for its products, which will help it survive now and recover later, because Ukrainian communities rely on farmers.
"It is important to prevent the emptying of villages and what is vital is to sell grain," said Andriy Dykun.
