UN General Assembly
1956

39. Our Republic occupies a large territory and possesses vast and varied natural resources. Under the socialist system, its economy has attained a high level of development. A few figures will suffice to illustrate this: in 1955, more than 16 million tons of cast iron were produced in the Ukraine, almost 17 million tons of steel, 13,600,000 tons of rolled iron and 126 million tons of coal. The area under cultivation comprises almost 33 million hectares, including 8,600,000 hectares under wheat, more than 2 million hectares under potatoes and 1,260,000 hectares under sugar beet. 40. Every year sees a rise in the output of industrial and food products designed to satisfy consumer needs and to raise the standard of living.