Over 2.6m ha of farmlands must be demined in Ukraine

Ukraine may curb the production of agricultural products and food this year as more than 2.6 million hectares of farmlands require demining due to Russian aggression.

That’s according to Yuliya Svyrydenko, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, who spoke in Brussels after the meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the EU (COREPER II), an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"This year, there may be a drop in the volume of agricultural output, because 2.6 million hectares require demining. This issue is also being discussed here in Brussels. The demining program may take years, but we must start it now... Practical tools for recovery must be implemented now, without waiting for the end of the war," said Svyrydenko.

She emphasized the importance of extending the Black Sea Grain Initiative in March this year and the effective use of "solidarity corridors" set up by the European Union to promote the export of Ukrainian agricultural products to world markets.

"We are an agricultural nation. The world (food security - ed.) depends on us, but we are equally dependent on income. So we are interested in being able to continue exporting. We hope that one more port will be added to the grain corridor," the government official said.

As reported, after the start of the armed aggression against Ukraine, Russia blocked Ukrainian Black Sea ports and put to a stop the export of Ukrainian grain and food to international markets. This triggered a hike in food prices and put the most vulnerable nations in Africa, Asia, and South America at risk of starvation.

On the initiative of the UN and with the assistance of Turkey, the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative was launched last year, which allowed for resuming Ukrainian exports through the maritime transport route. The "grain" deal expires in March, just a few weeks from now.

IC UAC according to Ukrinform