Food security of Ukraine and its components in the context of ensuring economic security

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Food security of Ukraine and its components in the context of ensuring economic security

Journal Title: Visnyk Ternopilskoho natsionalnoho ekonomichnoho universytetu - Year 2016, Vol 2, Issue

Abstract

The research explores the essence of the concept of “food security” and its role in ensuring economic security, which is treated as a state’s ability to guarantee and ensure the needs of people in high-quality and safe food products at the cientifically grounded consumption norms to maintain an active and healthy life for all strata of society. There is done the estimation of the state of food security at the country level through the use of “Methods of basic indicators of food security”, which was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 05.12.2007 year^. The main indicator of food security of Ukraine in 2014 showed that the daily energy value of the diet of the average Ukrainian was 2939 kcal., which is 17.5% higher than the set limit criterion (physiological minimum) - 2500 kcal. The structure of the diet for vegetable production accounts for 71.1%, and the animal - only 28.9%, which is 38.3% below the average physiological minimum set for man. Adequacy indicators calculated for consumption of individual foods are fairly low, such as: fish and fish products - 0.555; fruits, berries and grapes - 0.581; milk and milk products - 0.586; meat and meat products - 0.676. These figures are the evidence of the imbalance of nutrition and people are trying to secure their own energy needs at the expense of more affordable products. It was established that the availability of food is limited by low purchasing power of the population, i.e. if in 1990 the average cost of food packages made up 19.5% of the average wage, in 2014 the cost of food (including eating out) amounted to 51.8%. It is proved that the internal market of agri-food products in 2014 is relatively weakly dependent on import purchases: sugar - 0.4%; potatoes - 0.7%; eggs - 0.9%; vegetables and melons food - 3.2%; milk and dairy products - 3.7%. Strong dependence of agri-food market in Ukraine in the last 10 years was observed on certain types of food that are not produced in our country (tropical fruits, olive oil, etc.). In 2014 import dependence indicator increased in fruits, berries and grapes and reached - 38.1%, vegetable oil of all kinds - 39.7%. Relatively lower import dependence of the country is on meat, bread and cereal products, and milk and dairy products, respectively - 8.6%, 5.6%, 3.7%. To ensure food security in the context of economic security and to achieve the recommended scientifically based physiological nutritional standards it is necessary to intensify the level of demand due to a significant increase in the solvency of the population. The main components of this increase must be improvement of the economic situation in the country, sustainable development of agriculture (especially livestock industry) and a significant increase in employment.

Authors and Affiliations

Volodymyr Dudar

Keywords

food security food food security indicators availability of goods domestic consumption and quality food

EP ID EP182449
DOI -
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