International plans to de-mine Ukrainian farms are in development, the country’s Ministry for Agrarian Policy and Food has confirmed.

Representatives of the World Food Program (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) met with Ukrainian deputy farm minister Denys Bashlyk and ministerial officials this week.

The meeting is said to have focused on the development of a strategy to remove explosive mines planted during Russia’s invasion.

The mines are currently disabling many Ukrainian farmers from undertaking crop work.

The de-mining efforts will first focus on the now liberated territories of Ukraine, the ministry confirmed.

“It primarily provides the de-mining of land directly for small agricultural producers who are unable to do it on their own,” a spokesperson said.

Process

The WFP, FAO and Ukrainian agriculture officials discussed the selection of priority farms for de-mining and how de-mining equipment could be purchased and managed.

Minister Denys Bashlyk emphasised that the assistance to small businesses in de-mining is currently a priority for the Ministry for Agrarian Policy.

The parties agreed to meet again ahead of the roll-out of farm de-mining measures.

In September last year, a European Commission and World Bank report found that Russian’s invasion of Ukraine has caused over €28bn worth of damage and loss to Ukraine's agricultural sector.

The report - Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment - did not include the financial losses from mines on agricultural land and the need for farm land’s de-mining.

“Land decontamination, which covers de-mining and clearance of explosive remnants of war, is a precondition to safe rebuilding, resumption of service provision, and return to normality,” the report then read.

It is estimated that 13% of Ukraine’s territory is contaminated by mines and land decontamination costs were then expected to exceed €73bn.

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