The director of PBP "VYMAL" Serhiy Symonenko expressed concern about the deteriorating situation in Ukraine's potato sector, blaming state support gaps compared to Russia and Belarus. He highlighted the need to consider five potato-related product codes for improvement. The main competitors for Ukraine in the potato market are Russia and Belarus, which have more supportive programs for the industry. Ukraine's imports of potatoes and potato products from these countries have seen a consistent annual increase, with Belarus serving as a gateway for Russian goods into Ukraine. Symonenko emphasized the dumped pricing of starch imports from Belarus, leading to a decrease in the customs value and market disinterest in potato cultivation and processing in Ukraine. He called for state-level measures to address these issues.