July 13 2001, 12:22 UNIAN

I. Kirilenko: Preferential credits provided to farmers should be directed to feedstuff production

Preferential credits in the agrarian sector should be directed to feedstuff production. Minister of Agrarian Politics Ivan Kirilenko announced about this during a selector meeting with heads of regions.

In his words, grain processing to compound feed should be stimulated as profitable AIC sphere. "During processing of feed grain to compound feed its prices increase by 3-4 times, and thus we should help farmers to use the possibility to process feed grain", - the Minister said. Today there are 500 processing plants in Ukraine with total capacity of 22-25 million tons of compound feed, I. Kirilenko announced. Last year only 2.5 million tons of compound feed were produced i.e. just 10 percent of production capacity.

In addition, increase of compound feed production, as I. Kirilenko thinks, will help fulfillment of program of stabilization and development of livestock and poultry farming in 2001-2004, approved by the government decree on July 11.