The ban on the import of Ukrainian potatoes into the European Union will remain in force for a long time. The reason for this was the spread of false information about Ukraine's ability to produce 22 million tons of potatoes. This opinion was expressed by Candidate of Economic Sciences, Honored Worker of Agriculture of Ukraine, Head of PrJSC NPO "Chernihivelitkartoplya" Ihor Shkurko in an interview with AgroPortal.ua.

According to Shkurko, if Ukraine could really produce 22 million tons of potatoes, then every fourth railway car or every fourth grain truck would be loaded with potatoes. However, this is not true. "This year we received only 3 million tons of potatoes, which is a good result, and in normal years this figure is 5-6 million tons," the expert notes.

According to him, a significant reduction in potato production is observed in private farms, where the number of such farms has significantly decreased. At the same time, problems with labor due to the war are also negatively affecting the harvest. “At the moment, we do not have enough workers, and this situation will continue next year,” Shkurko adds.

He also emphasized that statements about 22 million tons of potatoes and Ukraine’s fourth place in the world in terms of its production are causing concern among other players in the global market. This, according to Shkurko, was one of the reasons for the introduction of quarantine restrictions that make it impossible to import Ukrainian potatoes to Europe.

As a result, the decrease in production volumes in Ukraine, as well as the inconsistency of data on crop volumes, contribute to the preservation of restrictions on potato exports to the EU. European countries are afraid of possible dangers that may be associated with uncontrolled imports of products from Ukraine, which has peculiar consequences for local markets.

Thus, the situation on the Ukrainian potato market remains difficult. Restoring trust and lifting restrictions may only be possible after the country can demonstrate stability in production and compliance with international standards.