Almost like before the war: the sown area in Mykolaiv region will reach 1.4 million hectares this year

This year, farmers in Mykolaiv region plan to sow more than 1.4 million hectares, which is almost as much as before the start of the full-scale war. By 2022, the region will have sown between 1.5 and 1.6 million hectares of fields annually.

This was announced during a briefing by Olena Piskun, Director of the Department of Agricultural Development of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, according to NikVesti.

At the same time, according to the official, the mine danger prevents the full restoration of agricultural potential. Some agricultural land still remains contaminated with explosive devices or is not included in the official map due to the lack of a certified survey.

«We are gradually approaching pre-war levels. In 2022-2023, only about 1.2 million hectares were sown. This year, we expect more than 1.4 million. This is very important for both food security and the region's economy,» said Olena Piskun.

For 2025, the priority demining plan includes 11,500 hectares of agricultural land in Mykolaiv region. Of these, 2,500 hectares have already been officially recognised as mined. Another 1,500 hectares have already been cleared.

«188 pyrotechnic teams are working on demining in the region. This is almost 1,100 people and 39 pieces of equipment. However, there is still a problem — some farmers have not yet applied for help. However, there are still small farmers who have not even shown their land plots that need demining,» said Olena Piskun.

She also noted that the material base of farmers in the region is beginning to recover — thanks to the support of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, agricultural producers are gradually updating their machinery, elevators and warehouses.

As of 11 April, Mykolaiv region farmers sowed 75.6 thou hectares of spring grains and pulses. The largest areas are occupied by barley — 43 thousand hectares and peas — 27.5 thousand hectares. In addition, 4.5 thousand hectares of spring wheat and 0.6 thousand hectares of oats have already been sown.

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

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