July 4 2005, 11:24 APK-Inform

Timoshenko warned farmers against selling grain for cash

Prime Minister of Ukraine Ms. Yulia Timoshenko has called upon the agricultural producers not to sell grain under cash deals. Speaking to a prime-time news programme at Ukraine's main state-controlled TV channel "Inter" on July 3 she applied to the "simple rural workers" with a request "to take under their control managers of farming enterprises, who conclude sales/purchase deals for grain".

"The tradition, which was established in Ukraine in the previous years, looked like that: the grain is bought form the head of farming enterprise for certain money, brought in a "case"… When grain is paid out-of-the-pocket the price is, clear, lower than it could have otherwise been… And the price is actually such that the certain "shadow turnover" gets distributed among those who have their hand in it", Timoshenko explained.

"With cash deals the farmers will always be deceived on price… The control over the payment process through banking transfers is a guarantee to get a normal price", she added.