A Ukrainian soldier prepares to distribute food to residents in Slavyansk, Ukraine, July 6, 2014. (Xinhua/Alexander Ermochenko)

KIEV, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine will make breakthroughs in agriculture in 2018 by increasing support for farmers, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said.

The government will launch programs to provide direct financial incentives for farmers, foot the expenses for building new dairy farms, and help farmers purchase agricultural equipment, Groysman said Friday.

The state programs will enable farmers increase the number of livestock and boost production.

According to the cabinet's press service, the government will allocate subsidies of about 140 million U.S. dollars for livestock farmers and 10 million dollars for fruit-growers this year.

In addition, it will allocate 34.8 million dollars to help grain growers buy modern farming equipment.

Agriculture is one of the key sectors in the Ukrainian economy. In 2017, Ukraine's agricultural exports reached 17.9 billion dollars, the highest level since 2012.