KIEV: In the first half of 2015, the sudden devaluation of UAH rates in the beginning of the current year and the continued decline of purchasing power of the population caused the observed reduction of imports of agricultural food products by 46% – to 1.9 bln USD, as opposed to 3.5 bln USD in the same period last year, declared Yuri Lupenko, Director of the National Scientific Center “Institute of Agrarian Economics”, Academician of the National Academy of Agrarian Science of Ukraine, on August 18.
According to him, the imports of corn and sunflower seed material reached 200 mln USD – at 100 mln USD for each type of commodity, he said.
According Yu.Lupenko, fruits and nuts formed the major share in the structure of food imports to Ukraine – 233 mln USD, tobacco products (200 mln USD), fish and shellfish (126 mln USD), coffee and tea (95 mln USD).
