Deputy head of the Volyn Regional State Administration Vitalii Zaremba reported at a meeting of the Lutsk Press Club of Reforms that it will take place even if the ministers of both countries reach an agreement, and "will be painful both for large commodity producers and for individual farmers."
According to him, the economic results in Volyn in 2005 are quite encouraging, since, in addition to impressive figures, certain trends for the development of animal husbandry have been established for this year. However, given the force majeure that the government is currently trying to resolve — Russia's ban on the import of animal-origin products from Ukraine — the situation may be unpredictable. And if the issue of exporting meat products does not arise for Volyn, then as for milk and dairy products, according to Vitalii Mykolaiovych, this is a "household drama." Volyn commodity producers supplied butter, rennet and processed cheese, cream, casein, powdered milk, etc. to Russia — in particular, OJSC "Kovelmoloko" and OJSC "Rozhyshche Cheese Plant" — in total on average 50% of manufactured products. Overall, in 2001 Ukraine supplied 112 thousand tons of cheese; today these figures have tripled.
Executive director of OJSC "Rozhyshche Cheese Plant" Petro Shvants believes that Russia's accusations against Ukrainian commodity producers, in particular the enterprise he manages, of non-compliance with standards are absolutely groundless and have a political basis. He argued this by saying that throughout the entire time of production, there had been no claims against them regarding non-compliance with the necessary standards. Currently, the enterprise, which is oriented mainly toward exports to Russia (less so to Moldova and Israel), has temporarily found a way out and switched to the production of casein and butter. Petro Anatoliiovych noted that already today prices for the products of the Rozhyshche Cheese Plant in Russia are rapidly rising, since the niche is not filled by anything, and consumers are accustomed to buying quality food.
However, how this will affect you and me… Judging by Vitalii Zaremba's words, unconsoling times await us. And although, as Petro Shvants reported, today commodity producers "have taken the entire blow upon themselves and procurers will not suffer," after a short-term improvement in the situation (a decrease in prices for dairy products), Volyn residents should be prepared for problems. First of all — a decline in the cattle population. The cows, thanks to which people in the countryside survive, may no longer be "family members," as is currently the case, but merely a source of income. And here the question will arise — is it profitable or not profitable to keep this livestock. If it is not profitable — on what income will the villager live?
However, Vitalii Zaremba noted that he does not predict such a turn of events, since he believes that the ministers will reach an agreement. In addition, he called for buying Volyn products, because "the highest-quality products are produced in Volyn!"