KIEV, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Thursday that Ukraine has a potential to become the world's leading country in agricultural, local media reported.

"Ukraine must become a global leader in the agricultural sector ... It was confirmed last year, when Ukraine reaped 70 million tons of grain for the first time in its history," Poroshenko was quoted as saying by the government-run Ukrinform news agency.

Ukraine has already entered the top three major grain exporters and top ten grain producers, Poroshenko said.

In the future, Ukraine should build new efficient processing plants with modern technologies and produce more agricultural products with high-added value to cement its positions on the global market of agricultural goods, Poroshenko said.

Ukraine, once known as a breadbasket of Europe, has 42 million hectares of high-quality farmland suitable for growing grain and raising livestock.

The value of Ukraine's agricultural exports reached a record of 18.8 billion U.S. dollars last year. China was the second-largest export market for Ukraine's agricultural products in 2018 after India.