As part of the 16th Annual International Conference “Effective Management of Agro-Companies,” held in Kyiv in early September 2025, a panel discussion took place on the topic: “Climate-Resilient Investments: The Future of the Agricultural Sector.”
The panel featured Alex Lissitsa, President of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club and Chairman of the Board at IMC; Oleksandr Muliar, Senior Agriculture Specialist at the World Bank; Dmytro Skorniakov, CEO of HarvEast; Oleh Zapletniuk, CEO of TAS Agro; Oscar Paulino, Sustainability Manager at São Martinho S.A.; Juliana de Lavor Lopes, Director of ESG, Communications and Compliance at AMAGGI; and Rafael Carvalho Lima Biasoli, CFO of AMAGGI.
During the panel discussion on Ukraine’s European integration prospects and sustainable investment in the agricultural sector, Dmytro Skorniakov, CEO of HarvEast, emphasized:
“Predictable trade rules with the EU — even with the proposed quotas — are more advantageous than complete unregulated freedom. Unregulated access tends to provoke political resistance and create uncertainty on the European market.
At the same time, alignment with EU standards gives Ukrainian agricultural producers access to a market of 450 million solvent consumers. That is a vast market — and one we are very interested in.
We in Ukraine are ready to meet even the most specific demands of our European partners. If it takes dancing or singing to entertain the sunflowers in our fields for an extra 10% premium on a contract — we’ll do it.”
Skorniakov also noted that Ukrainian farmers are actively implementing sustainable practices — such as biological crop protection, precision farming, and variable-rate fertilization — not only to meet EU requirements, but also to improve their own efficiency and profitability.
“In fact,” he added, “we have, by necessity, become leaders in adopting certain technologies, such as the use of agricultural drones — often outpacing European countries.
When the war ends, many of the cutting-edge technologies currently being developed for military applications will transition to advanced industries like agriculture — significantly strengthening our capabilities.”
