NUBiP of Ukraine: Parliamentary Committee for Agrarian Policy and Land Relations discussed the strategy of reforming forestry in Ukraine

     National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine has long been the institution which hosts different roundtables to share ideas and to make important governmental decisions. Why is it so? The probable answer is that the university has been rapidly evolving in recent years and invites scholars, experts, politicians and governmental people to consolidate and to collaborate in the university. In December, NUBiP of Ukraine hosted an on-call, on-site meeting of Committee for Agrarian Policy and Land Relations of Verhovna Rada of Ukraine. The strategic topic of the meeting was the ways to reform forestry in Ukraine.

     Oleksandr Bakumenko, head of the committee, noticed that one of the reasons of this gathering was the Strategy of Reforming Forest Management till 2022 which was approved by Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on November, 15, 2017. One of the leitmotifs of this document is the establishment of a new body in the sphere of forest management. So, it is necessary to discuss perspectives and points of view by practitioners, experts, scholars and the public.

     First, Oleksandr Bakumenko thanked university faculty for taking an active part in developing this legislative document and for hosting this meeting. Stanislav Nikolaienko thanked people’s deputies who support the university. By the way, there are many NUBiP of Ukraine’s graduates among people’s deputies. Rector highlighted that the scholars who participated in the development of President’s Order “On additional actions to develop forestry, rational exploiting of the environment and to save objects of nature reserve fund” and who made proposals about changes in state Strategy have an exclusively state position. In S. Nikolaienko words, “we are ready to come up with ideas and to participate in reforming this sphere”. But S. Nikolaienko also formulated some problems of not only forestry but agriculture on the whole. This year just about 40% of young people from rural areas stood a chance to study at higher schools free of charge. One of the reasons is weak admission rules. The second problem is transferring the funding of vocational schools and colleges to local budget. It can lead to ruining graduate education. The third problem is the control of the implementation of legislature in the domain of public contracts. People’s deputy’s control is as necessary as others here.

     Olha Trophimtseva, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine advocated for policy of providing enough personnel for all spheres of economy and, especially, in forestry. She added that the Strategy is a catalyst of the discussion and the launch of a new reform. The document presents some technical innovations which will probably solve one of the main problems, that is, of separating control from management. She highlighted that the Strategy does not have any statements about liquidation of forest farms and redundancy. Valerii Davydenko, a people’s deputy, and Volodymyr Bondar, a vice-principal of State Forestry Agency contradicted that the establishment of a new governing body will not function in the way Deputy Minister had said. On the contrary it can cause the privatization of forest farms and their further liquidation. Vasyl Klyshniak, a representative of trade unions, said that it is necessary to center a person, to take a social prosperity of people into consideration. Petro Lakyda, Director of Education and Research Institute of Forestry and Park Gardening, pointed out that Ukraine is situated in five forest zones. The experience of other country cannot be effective in Ukraine. It goes without saying, that is necessary to separate control and management but without ruining this area. Yurii Tunytsia, an academician, offered to experience forest factories which process wood, provide with workplace and support a social sphere of a region.

     People’s deputies, such as Leonid Kozachenko, Andrii Kit, Mykola Liushniak, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Fedir Negoi, Valerii Davydenko took an active part in the discussion. Heads of regional forest farms and public representation supported the idea of reforming forestry.

     In the conclusion, Oleksandr Bakumenko told that Committee will consider the problems of forestry and channel their efforts to tackle the problems. What is necessary to do? It is necessary 1) to conduct talks with practitioners andforesters; 2) deputies agreed to approve 2018 budget if it finances forestry of Southern and Eastern Ukraine; 3) to bring into the attention of the coalition and Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine the issue of appointing heads of Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine; and 4) to invite governmental people and to organize an on-site meeting of the committee in Lviv region to discuss the concept of reforming and developing forestry.

Denys Ruden
Translated Olena Soloviova