Ukraine has removed barriers to the export of some agricultural commodities, imposed last year to prevent food shortages, in a bid to boost foreign currency income.

The country introduced export licences in 2022 to protect food supplies after agricultural production was hit by Russia’s invasion.

While licensing did not ban exports, it made them much more difficult.

The government said it would lift the requirement for export licences for live cattle, frozen cattle meat, chicken meat, eggs, rye, oats, millet and some other commodities.

It said the resolution was developed in response to numerous requests from associations, and would “help to optimise agricultural exports and increase foreign exchange earnings for Ukraine.”

On May 2nd, the European Union set restrictions on imports of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed to ease excess supply to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

Those states last week called for the curbs to be extended.