Problems and prospects of food security in Ukraine

Natalia Vasylieva

Abstract: Each country is responsible for life, health and welfare of its citizens. Thus, it has to provide food security. Maintaining its proper state and positive dynamics belongs to management obligations. The aggregate assessment of the food basket including 8 basic products consumed in Ukraine was offered to control a quality of management. Such assessment supports comparing regional inequality in providing food and determines products’ priorities for improving food security management. It was found that, firstly, its enhancement needs the planned increase in availability of meat, milk, fruit and berries obtained from the national producers for saturating the domestic market according to the norms of rational nutrition. Secondly, improvements in food security management are connected with the planned rise in food affordability that is affected by the poor and uneven incomes of the regional population. The world target countries in the long run and the target EU-28 countries for the near future were specified for developing insufficient production of meat, milk, fruit and berries and arranging effective food security management. Comparing minimal wages and expenditures on food in Ukraine and European countries made it possible to substantiate goals of strengthening competitiveness of the national economy in favor of reinforcing regional affordability of the balanced dietary. The information base of the research results consisted of FAO data and those of Ukrainian State Statistics Service.

Keywords: affordability; aggregate assessment; food availability; food security; management; regional inequality; target EU-28

Date published: 2019-08-27