About 5 million hectares of agricultural land are currently unusable due to mines, contamination with explosive remnants, or ongoing hostilities, said Oleksandr Haydu, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada's Agrarian Committee, referring to data from regional military administrations.
The area of winter crops decreased by 3.2 million hectares due to the impact of the hostilities.
"For example, winter crops were sown on only 4.5 million hectares, although last year these crops were sown on 7.7 million hectares. This has a direct impact on the country's food security. That is why today, our primary task is, with the help of international partners, to create conditions for de-mining the land of small and medium-sized farmers who can't do it on their own," the MP emphasized.
He added that representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) plan to allocate about $50 million in 2023 to purchase mechanized demining equipment and train operators of such equipment to clear Ukrainian territories.
The Ministry of Agrarian Policy predicts a 10-15% decrease in the harvest in 2023.