Kherson region's farmers lost more than ₴1 billion due to weather and war consequences

Cultivation of land in Mykolaiv region. Photo: NikVesti

In the de-occupied areas of Kherson region, more than 55,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed or seriously damaged. The total amount of damage exceeds one billion hryvnias. The causes are prolonged drought, spring frosts, moisture deficit and lack of irrigation after the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station was blown up.

This was reported by Ekonomichna Pravda, citing data from the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council.

Ihor Yosypenko, an agrarian and head of the company «Zlato Tavrii» in Beryslav district, said that natural anomalies, along with the loss of access to irrigation, destroyed more than 1900 hectares of early grains and oilseeds. In particular, almost 200 hectares of barley, 1400 hectares of wheat and 300 hectares of rapeseed were lost.

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«Our farm suffered significant losses caused by prolonged natural disasters: spring frosts, critical drought and soil moisture deficit. These factors were exacerbated by limited access to irrigation due to the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station,» said Ihor Yosypenko.

The «Berehynia» farm of Viktor Derkach was also hit by the elements. Here, drought and frost destroyed 30% of crops, and up to 60% of the land was severely damaged. In the steamy areas, where nothing has been planted after the demining, farmers hoped to harvest up to 60 centners per hectare, but they will get only half that.

«The steamy plots where nothing was grown after demining are in slightly better condition. We expected to harvest 50-60 centners of grain per hectare there, but we will only get 30-35 centners,» said Viktor Derkach.

The losses in monetary terms are estimated at 10-15 thousand hryvnias per hectare, depending on the crop and the resources invested. Derkach stressed that the lack of rain in May and June threatens the harvest of sunflower and spring barley.

«Another problem is brewing: we had almost no rain in May and June. It is good that there are no critical temperatures, but there is still no moisture in the soil. This is why sunflower and spring barley crops are suffering,» the farmer said.

Due to the critical situation, 20 agrarian associations have asked the government for financial support. However, according to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, the state budget does not currently have funds for this. Farmers are being offered an alternative - to use the preferential lending programme «5-7-9%», which is also available in the frontline areas.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has also instructed the Ministry of Agrarian Policy to develop a compensation mechanism for those farmers who restore irrigation systems on their own, similar to compensation for mine clearance.

Despite the losses, Kherson farmers do not lose hope.

«We are already preparing for the 2025-2026 sowing season, which starts in less than two months. How and what to sow is an open question, but we are confident that we will sow,» summed up Ihor Yosypenko.

Earlier it was reported that climate change and a critical decline in the water balance could make half of the country's agricultural land unusable for cultivation. By 2050, the drought zone will cover millions of hectares.

We remind you that every year droughts in Ukraine are becoming a new reality rather than an exception. Mykolaiv region, along with Odesa, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, is among the regions with the highest vulnerability to droughts and desertification.