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Agriculture calls for investment now, instead of after the victory — Howard Buffett
11 May 2023, 15:20
Ukraine's agriculture should be invested in now, not waiting for the war to end, an American philanthropist and head of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation Howard Buffett said in an interview with Kurkul.com.
"Well, I wouldn't wait for victory. In fact, agriculture is one of the areas in which one can invest now. However, not in all areas and not everywhere. You know we have been working on this: we have built several grain transshipment facilities. One is on the border with Romania and the other is on the border with Poland. I feel that the people we have been working with are very committed to their work. But they also think that we should wait until the war is over. And we cannot wait," he explains.
The philanthropist is convinced there are various reasons to invest now. One of them is that Ukraine needs infrastructure. If the grain deal remains hampered, Ukraine will need other ways to export grain. Therefore, it is worth investing in facilities enabling easier movement of grain now.
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"One more option for investment is irrigation. The war is preventing us from bringing our companies here to participate in the irrigation sector. And I try to explain to investors that there are fairly safe areas," Howard Buffett adds. "Not 100% safe, but nothing is 100% anyway. I see that people's resistance is more psychological than practical. It's why we often insist, but it's still not easy."
In early 2023, Ukrainian farmers received another delivery of agricultural machinery from Howard Buffett.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, The Howard G. Buffett Foundation has provided USD 196 million in aid to Ukrainians.
