Ukrainian politicians in an extremely short period of time – by July 1, 2021, must adopt and implement a set of legislative acts of land reform, which will improve the economic well-being of people, especially those who live in rural areas, said USAID Deputy Mission Director Susan Kutor in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“This is a historic moment for the country, an opportunity to improve the economic well-being of people, especially those living in rural areas. For land reform to succeed, it has to provide equal opportunities for every Ukrainian by ensuring access to finance, protecting property rights, empowering communities to effectively manage their land, and incorporating anti-corruption safeguards,” she said.
When asked what led to the recent pause in projects of DFC for Ukraine (formerly OPIC) and USAID, what kind of financial assistance and in what areas Ukraine could count on, Kutor pointed out that USAID provides constant assistance, without pauses, in such areas as agriculture, decentralization, digitalization of services, energy security, civil society and healthcare.
The deputy director of the mission clarified that USAID is partnering with financial service providers such as credit unions to increase access to credit, which is critical for smallholder farmers. In particular, there are two guarantees for loan portfolios of commercial banks, which will provide almost $18 million to small and medium farmers.
In addition, the U.S. Charge d’Affaires in Ukraine Kristina Kvien named among the main economic reforms the land reform, which for the first time will create a land market that can help unleash the huge agricultural potential of Ukraine.
“Parliament is also looking at a draft law right now that will ensure transparency in the future land market and provide financial assistance to Ukrainian farmers. That would be an important achievement on top of what has already been done in land reform,” she said.
