LFM 2023

On September 12, the “Ukrainian Agricultural Business Club” association and the UCABevent agency held the XIV International Conference “Effective Management of Agribusiness” (LFM), a unique event for Ukraine and the entire Europe.

The conference was opened with welcoming remarks by the Minister of Agricultural Policy and Food of Ukraine, Mykola Solsky, and a member of the Supervisory Board of Agro-Region and Vice President of UCAB, Kateryna Rybachenko. They emphasized the importance of maintaining the stability of Ukraine’s agricultural sector as much as possible in the realities of war, to strengthen the country’s economy.

“Today, we all live in a new world, constantly asking ourselves whether it is right to continue our daily lives when soldiers are dying. However, it is our shared responsibility to maintain the economic front so that it does not fall before Victory comes. So the best thing we can do is to continue what we do best – support the activities of the agricultural sector,” noted Kateryna Rybachenko.

LFM has traditionally served as an effective platform for communication and sharing experience in the agricultural field. In the innovative business park Terminal, the conference was attended by 350+ leading agro-producers, forward-thinking investors, representatives of resource and service companies, and startups.

During the first case study, Alex Lissitsa, the CEO of IMK, paid special attention to the issue of survival and maintaining business resilience in times of martial law. As a result, the Ukrainian agricultural sector operated at a loss for the first time in the last 20 years. Both grain and sunflower sectors crossed the profitability line in 2022.

The conference continued with a presentation on this topic by Roman Slastyon, the CEO of UCAB, titled “Intermediate Season Results: Production, Export, Logistics.”

The topic of fundraising was addressed during the panel discussion titled “Agricultural Business Financing During War: Instruments, Risks, Guarantees.” Aivaras Abromavicius, who served as the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine from 2014 to 2016, is convinced that the Ukrainian agricultural sector is undoubtedly facing challenging times. This is because since the beginning of the war, the number of deposits in emission accounts has significantly increased.

Important topics for discussion in the agricultural world have always included issues related to seeds, fertilizers, plant protection products (ЗЗР), and machinery.

The discussion on “Workforce Availability Today and in the Future: Key Challenges and Priorities” proved to be particularly interesting. During this discussion, the Head of Human Capital Advisory Services at Deloitte in Ukraine, Yakiv Akulov, emphasized that the theme of care and support is becoming especially important when working with personnel today.

Oksana Reva, Acting Director of Human Resources Management at Agro MHP, agreed with this perspective, adding: “Currently, agricultural companies are experiencing a shortage of personnel in seasonal and labor specialties. Highly skilled professionals are either being recruited away or mobilized.”

The conference concluded with a powerful performance by the band Kozak System, featuring a passionate statement from the lead vocalist, Ivan Lenyo. He said, “Today, we are all in the same boat, rowing in the same direction, and we are all interested in Victory. When we talk about the front, we must understand that the most important front today is the military front, and the fate of our nation depends on the effectiveness of our army’s support. We cannot afford to lose, because for Ukrainians, it would mean death. The enemy doesn’t need our territories; they want our souls. So Victory is our only option.”