The government held a meeting with food producers, dedicated to their work in conditions of limited energy supply. The authorities emphasize that there is no food shortage in Ukraine, and the situation on the market remains stable and controlled. This was announced by Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko.
Coordination between producers and retail chains on food security issues is carried out by the Ministry of Economy. A special headquarters operates at its base, which responds to business appeals and provides operational support in case of problems. The government assured that all requests from enterprises will be processed without delay.
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko instructed the State Emergency Service to develop emergency assistance mechanisms for enterprises producing basic food products in the event of sudden power outages. This includes, in particular, the possibility of short-term emergency power supply.
Special attention is paid to connecting the producers’ own generating capacities. The Ministry of Energy, together with the National Commission for the Regulation of Energy and the Energy Sector, must ensure the connection and launch of installations that are already available at enterprises but have not yet been put into operation. According to Svyridenko, the government has adopted all the necessary decisions for this.
In addition, the State Emergency Service will strengthen interaction with producers in the regions in order to form operational food reserves for the possible deployment of food points, if necessary. Retail chains also called for giving preference to Ukrainian products as an element of the state’s economic stability. The Ministry of Economy has been instructed to develop additional tools to support domestic producers.
“Currently, there is enough food available in Ukraine. Producer capacities exceed domestic consumption. The situation is under control,” Svyrydenko emphasized.
Against the backdrop of power outages in certain regions, information has emerged about store disruptions. It was reported that generators used to provide retail chains with electricity do not always withstand the load, which is why some supermarkets are forced to reduce operating hours or temporarily close.
In Kyiv and the region, due to a combination of power outages and low temperatures, some supermarkets of the Novus and Silpo chains may temporarily suspend operations. At the same time, the ATB chain stated that the stores are operating normally, as they are provided with autonomous power supply and are able to function even during blackouts.
