Investment and innovation development of seed production in Ukraine in the context of accession to the European Union

The study aimed to assess the investment and innovation support of seed production, to develop measures to improve efficiency and to propose proposals for protecting the rights of breeders to receive royalty and breeding payments. Monographic, economic statistical, tabular and graphical, empirical, comparative analysis, forecasting, and abstract and logical methods were used in the study. The study analysed the organisation and functioning of the seed industry in Ukraine. The main indicators of the development of seed production of cereals, legumes and oilseeds were investigated, and the outstripping rates of development of imports over exports and, accordingly, Ukraine’s import overdependence, which leads to vulnerability in the global seed market, were revealed. The dynamics of costs to produce seeds of cereals, oilseeds and legumes is summarised, and the standard cost of wheat seeds is calculated. Proposals were developed to protect the rights of breeders in terms of protecting intellectual property rights to plant varieties, accounting for the best practices of European countries. The actual and proposed value-added chains to produce conditioned seeds in Ukraine were built. The most important indicators of seed production growth in Ukraine are the volume of sowing (2,300-2,500 thousand tonnes), exports (77 million USD), and imports (350 million USD). The largest share in the cost structure of all producers is the production of seeds, which are then delivered to the company for processing (40-80%, depending on the category of producers). The amount of royalties paid annually averages 90 million UAH, with a potential of 900 million UAH. Breeding payments are not paid in Ukraine at all, although they could amount to 725.7 million UAH