In March, 572 hectares of farmland cleared under compensation program
Under the state program to compensate for the cost of land clearance, mine action operators cleared 572 hectares of agricultural land in Ukraine in March.
This was reported by the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture, according to Ukrinform.
“In March, as part of the state program to compensate for the cost of demining agricultural land: 572 hectares of land were demined by mine action operators; 6 agreements on the demining of agricultural land were fulfilled; mine action operators received 35.4 million UAH for the work performed,” the statement reads.
It is noted that the average cost of land cleared in March under the program reached 59,000 UAH/ha. Under two contracts concluded by the Humanitarian Demining Center, mine action operators began clearing over 85 hectares of agricultural land, and the cost of such services amounts to 5.8 million UAH.
The ministry explained that the low activity in the first quarter was due to a review of the “Humanitarian Demining” budget program, which meant that applications from farmers and individual landowners were not being considered. The submission and review of applications have now resumed.
Work is ongoing under 37 contracts on agricultural plots covering approximately 8,000 hectares. In total, 82 contracts have already been completed, and 14,600 hectares have been returned to use. The cost of the work amounts to nearly UAH 854.5 million.
The state program to compensate for the cost of demining agricultural land is funded as part of the Ukraine Facility Plan.
To stimulate the process, in March the government simplified the conditions for participating in the program; in particular, farmers now only need to submit an application to clear a specific plot, which will subsequently be inspected by the Humanitarian Demining Center. State-owned enterprises using state-owned land have also been granted the right to compensation for expenses.
In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a draft law on improving the field of mine action, which expands the obligations of central executive bodies and local authorities regarding support for victims of explosive ordnance and details the operating principles of the National Mine Action Authority during and after martial law.
As reported by Ukrinform, over 100,000 km² in Ukraine remain potentially dangerous.
Photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine