The fields of Mykolaiv and Kherson regions are dotted with more than 600,000 craters because of the war

Contamination of agricultural land in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions due to the war, photo: a7d.com.ua

In Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, scientists have counted more than 600,000 craters from shells and explosions. This indicates serious contamination of agricultural land due to the war.

According to the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the study was conducted by the Ukrainian Society of Researchers at the request of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. The study combined satellite imagery and on-site inspections. The project was supported by the governments of Canada, Norway and Switzerland.

Almost a million hectares of land were surveyed in Mykolaiv region and more than 306,000 sinkholes were found. The volume of destroyed soil exceeds 612,000 cubic metres. Some fields have suffered blast damage or compaction from heavy machinery. Up to 19,000 hectares may be potentially contaminated. Scientists have taken 138 soil samples to test for harmful substances.

The situation is even worse in the liberated territories in Kherson region. More than 311,000 sinkholes and over 1.6 million cubic metres of destroyed soil have been recorded there. Almost 27,000 hectares may be contaminated.

It is also noted that in June, the researchers plan to present a monetary estimate of the losses of the agricultural sector in both regions.

As a reminder, Olena Piskun, Director of the Department of Agricultural Development of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, said that this year Mykolaiv Oblast farmers plan to sow more than 1.4 million hectares, which is almost as much as before the start of the full-scale war. Until 2022, the region will plant 1.5 to 1.6 million hectares of fields annually.

In total, Mykolaiv region farmers plan to plant 100,000 more hectares of crops in 2025 thanks to the demined areas.

And farmers in Kherson region plan to sow about 220,000 hectares of de-occupied land this year.