Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, Minister Solskyi. I really appreciate your time and dedication.
We've discussed here and elsewhere that the war is having a devastating effect on everyone, including farmers. We've heard that farmers are short of diesel. Some are scared to plow their fields for fear that they are mined. Those who are not fighting on the front lines are facing their own challenges on the farms.
Just to sum up some of the things we've heard, there are the lack of supplies, the price of existing supplies, the lack of work force, the reduced number of livestock and crops planted, and also storage capacity issues. We did hear from the deputy director-general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization that in Ukraine, small farmers produce an overwhelming amount of the food. It's the small producers in your country.
Here in Canada, we represent farmers in our ridings. As we meet with you, you're representing the voices of farmers for all of Ukraine, so I thought it might be fitting to end by having you paint a picture for all of us. Expand on the challenges for the average small farm in Ukraine and on their determination to keep feeding Ukrainians and, indeed, feeding the world in the face of those challenges.
In other words, I want to give you an opportunity to share with us your pride in Ukrainian farmers.
Thank you.