Ukraine, China hold online forum to boost agricultural trade

KIEV, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Industry leaders and business representatives from China and Ukraine gathered at an online forum Tuesday to discuss ways to further develop win-win cooperation in agricultural trade.

The forum, titled "Ukraine-China: The Future of Trade, Pulses, Grains, Oilseeds," was co-organized by the Community of Pulse Producers and Customers of Ukraine (SPPBU) and China Chamber of Commerce of Import/Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-products (CFNA).

While attending the forum, Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Fan Xianrong said that in recent years, bilateral trade has been constantly growing and China has become Ukraine's largest trade partner.

Agro-products are playing an important role in bilateral trade, Fan said, adding that exports of Ukrainian agro-products to China reached 3.5 billion U.S. dollars last year, up by 84 percent year-on-year, and amounted to about 45 percent of Ukraine's total exports to China.

Fan said he believes agricultural trade between China and Ukraine will be even more vigorous in the near future.

The two countries can also strengthen cooperation in such fields as growing crops and processing agro-products, he added.

Meanwhile, Taras Kachka, deputy minister for Economic Development, Trade, and Agriculture of Ukraine, stressed the importance of intergovernmental cooperation in the agricultural sector.

Agricultural trade between the two countries has great potential, and Ukraine is interested in developing cooperation with China and bringing bilateral trade to a new level, Kachka said.

President of the SPPBU Antonina Sklyarenko, CFNA President Cao Derong, and business representatives from both countries also attended the forum.