Ukraine can produce up to 10 bcm of biogas from waste annually – Vysotskyi

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Acting Minister Taras Vysotskyi in an interview with Ukrinform.

According to Vysotskyi, the production of bioethanol and biogas is one of the important areas of agricultural processing, where cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union can be particularly effective.

“In Ukraine, from the available (nominally) waste, i.e. manure, straw and food scraps, it is possible to potentially produce up to 10 billion cubic meters of gas per annum. Thus, by producing a resource for our own needs, we can contribute to the energy security of Ukraine and European countries. But, this refers to a rather significant ‘start-up’ investment of USD 20 billion or above,” Vysotskyi noted.

Additionally, the consumption of amino acids, yeast, and various vegetable proteins is growing worldwide at a rapid pace of 3-5% annually. The demand on this market is much higher than the supply. By developing this area, Ukraine will not push its European colleagues out of the market but simply meet the global needs.

“In the European Union, establishing such an advanced production will require seven to 10 years of agreements and licensing procedures. Also, there are few vacant sites with all the conditions to place such production in Europe. Meanwhile, we are ready to demonstrate that Ukraine, first of all, offers many opportunities for such production. With the latest regulatory simplifications, licensing procedures were reduced to months, if not to weeks, instead of extending them for years. Hence, one can quickly come to us with investments and meet the needs of the markets that are growing so rapidly,” Vysotskyi stressed.

In his opinion, the same goes for organic agricultural production. In order to grow organic crops, large areas are needed to arrange protective zones, restrict outside access, etc.

“It is very difficult to do so in Europe, where there is a large concentration of farmers, where everyone cultivates 20 hectares each. Ukraine, on the other hand, has such opportunities. At the same time, the demand for organic products in Europe itself is huge. We are already among the Top 3 exporters of organic products to the EU. But, we have great opportunities for growth, including the export of such products to third countries,” Vysotskyi concluded.

A reminder that, according to the expert estimates, having only half of Ukraine’s raw agricultural exports deeply processed will increase annual revenues by USD 30 billion. For example, processing corn into bioethanol would raise profits by 3.5 times, and making citric acid from such raw product – by 8.9 times.