The war has accelerated Ukraine’s expansion of its processing industry.

“If we take OECD standards, in developed countries, the share of the processing industry in GDP is 20%. Therefore, we set ourselves the task of increasing the share of processing in Ukrainian GDP to such an indicator. Under favorable external circumstances and with a consistent policy of stimulation with the development of the processing industry, this can be achieved in 10 years,” said Economy Minister Yuliya Svyridenko.

The changes should take place in the export field. Currently, the share of the processing industry is about 35%, but Ukraine must strive for 70-80%.

“The paradox of today’s situation is that the war accelerates these changes. Blocking the export of agricultural raw materials caused the growth of agro-processing. In the nine months of 2023, flour exports increased by 267% and pasta products – by 22%. We see farmers’ investments in new processing facilities and even more are planning to build new plants soon,” Svyridenko stressed.