Harvesting under drone surveillance: farmers in Kherson describe how they work in the fields whilst under Russian shelling
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- Alisa MelikadamianContributing Editor, Reporter
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Farmers in Kherson are continuing to harvest their crops despite Russian drone attacks, the risk of landmines and logistical difficulties. They say that the main challenge is not just growing the grain, but harvesting and transporting it safely.
This is reported in a feature by the publication «MOST».
Journalists visited one of the farms near Kherson during the pea harvest. Working alongside the adults on the family farm is Matvii, the son of farmer Dmytro, who is not yet 14 years old. The boy has been helping his father with field work for two years now.
When asked by journalists whether it is hard to work in the fields, Matvii replies that he does not find it difficult.
«I don’t even know… There’s nothing hard about it,» he says.
At the same time, the work is by no means easy. According to him, Russian drones pose the greatest danger.
Farmers in Kherson spoke about harvesting under drones. Screenshot from the video: MOST
Farmers in Kherson spoke about harvesting under drones. Screenshot from video: MOST
Farmers in Kherson spoke about harvesting under drone attacks. Screenshot from video: MOSTAlthough this year’s pea harvest turned out to be slightly higher than the regional average, selling it is no easy task, as constant drone attacks mean transporters are reluctant to travel to communities near the front line, and there is a shortage of our own transport.
«Sales are very poor because logistics here are extremely expensive. Due to drone attacks on the roads, very few people are willing to come and help us transport the grain,» said Dmytro, the head of the family farm.
The farmer also explained that peas are grown on the farm not only for the harvest but also to maintain soil fertility. According to him, this crop fixes nitrogen, which helps reduce expenditure on expensive nitrogen fertilisers when growing subsequent crops.
«The next crop will be winter wheat, and we’ll already be using less fertiliser because the peas accumulate nitrogen in the soil,» said the farmer.
Dmytro is the head of the family farm. Screenshot from the video: MOSTHe added that the farm had been considering setting up its own processing and production of craft products, in particular pea and barley groats, with a view to exporting them, for example, to Israel. However, the security situation in the region currently prevents these plans from being realised.
Farmers face the danger of landmines. Combine harvester operator Oleksandr recalled how, during the sowing season, after a downed Russian drone was discovered, bomb disposal experts found an anti-tank mine nearby.
«Just imagine if they hadn’t spotted it and had sown over it, and it had become overgrown with grass, and I’d driven over it to mow it. Well, wouldn’t I have run over it? So that’s the sort of thing that happens,» he recalled.
Despite all the risks, farmers are already finishing harvesting their early crops and preparing for the autumn sowing season. In the near future, they plan to sow the fields with winter rapeseed, and later with winter wheat and other crops.
It’s worth noting that, due to the full-scale invasion, the Kherson region has seen a significant reduction in the production of vegetables and melons. Currently, the region accounts for around 1 per cent of Ukraine’s total vegetable production and 3 per cent of its melon production.
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