ORGANIC PRODUCTION AS A COMPONENT OF ENSURING FOOD SAFETY OF UKRAINE

Abstract

The article analyzes the problem of food safety, which characterizes the socio-economic and ecological situation, ensures the balance of the food market, and is relevant and important for the population of the countries of the world. It was determined that the food independence of Ukraine ensures the efficiency of the food sector in several aspects: it stimulates the development of agriculture; creates jobs, which contributes to the reducing of unemployment and raising of the standard of living of the population; ensures food safety; reduces dependence on imports, etc. An important place in ensuring food safety is occupied by the agrarian sector of the economy of Ukraine, and organic production satisfies the needs of the population for high-quality and safe food products. It has been established that domestic and foreign demand for domestic organic products is growing, and Ukraine, which has significant areas occupied by organic production of agricultural products and exports them, occupies a leading position among other European countries. The study shows the dynamics of the internal market of organic products in Ukraine for 2010-2021, which shows the positive changes, despite the military actions. The article displays graphs and figures that illustrate the current state of global organic production, the percentages of organic land areas in different countries, the rates of their increase, the countries with the largest share of organic agricultural areas and the countries with the largest organic product markets in the world. The current state of organic agricultural production in Ukraine, the main problems and prospects for its development are studied, the main differences between organic and inorganic products are given, the advantages of organic products for the human health, ecological, social and economic advantages are indicated. It was determined that organic agricultural production plays an important role in the development of the agrarian sector of the Ukrainian economy, is a promising tool for stimulating sustainable economic development and, with effective functioning, will ensure food safety. The main directions of increasing the volume of production and promotion of domestic organic products to other countries of the world are outlined.