Ukraine plans to review sugar and processed food quotas with the EU

Ukraine plans to resume consultations with the European Commission on revising and increasing tariff quotas for several agricultural products. Priority products include sugar, starch and syrup products, alcohol and bioethanol, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy said following a meeting with businesses and relevant government agencies.

According to Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi, consultations with the European Commission are expected to resume in September. The ministry expects businesses to provide analytical justification for increasing quotas on the most sensitive product categories to strengthen Ukraine’s negotiating position.

At the same time, Ukraine plans to make greater use of available global WTO quotas, which provide reduced import tariffs. The ministry believes there is significant unused capacity within these quotas that Ukrainian exporters can tap immediately, without waiting for bilateral trade terms with the EU to be revised.

Ukraine will also seek to diversify agricultural exports beyond the EU. Additional opportunities are seen in expanding trade with the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Norway under existing free trade agreements.

The meeting also addressed export logistics challenges, including grain transit through the EU, shortages of grain wagons, operations at the Greater Odesa ports and development of the Danube region. The ministry is now reviewing proposals from businesses, with some issues expected to be submitted to the government and trade-related matters pursued at the international level.

Tags: sugar, agricultural products, quotas, bioethanol, Ukraine, EU