487 million “lost” hryvnias: the consequences of the Academy of Agrarian Sciences
24 January 17:08
The State Audit Service has released the results of a routine audit of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences (NAAS), which revealed serious financial irregularities worth more than UAH 1 billion. The audit covered the activities of the Academy itself, 21 subordinate institutions and 6 state-owned enterprises, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.
The main problem, according to the State Audit Service, is the improper use of land resources. Research plots intended for scientific work have actually turned into commercial sites. Institutions of the Academy began to engage in economic activities instead of scientific activities due to a decrease in demand for seed products.
The auditors found that the land plots were transferred to third parties under conditions that have signs of a hidden lease. As a result, the institutions lost the opportunity to receive additional revenues of more than UAH 70 million.
The NAAS’s agricultural activities were extremely inefficient. Yields were lower than the regional average, and products were often sold at low prices. There were cases of unjustified write-offs of crops and failure to harvest.
The most striking fact is that due to inefficient management, the Academy did not receive additional revenues of about UAH 487 million, of which UAH 6.4 million were direct losses.
Based on the results of the audit, the materials were submitted to law enforcement agencies for further investigation. This indicates systemic violations in the activities of the country’s leading agricultural research organization.
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National Academy of Agrarian Sciences
The National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine (NAAS) is a leading scientific organization in the agricultural sector, which was founded on May 22, 1931 and has the status of a state self-governing scientific institution.
The structure of the Academy includes 6 branch departments: agriculture, land reclamation and mechanization; crop production; animal husbandry; veterinary medicine; agrarian economy and food; scientific support of innovative development. It consists of 271 institutions, enterprises and organizations, including 88 scientific institutions, including 11 national research centers, 41 institutes and other research stations.
The NAAS annually conducts research under 1 national, 6 state targeted and 32 sectoral scientific and technical programs.
