The most significant challenges for the agricultural sector include the substitution of territories, lack of water for irrigation due to the undermining of the Kakhovka Dam, restricted exports through Ukrainian ports, and the destruction of infrastructure and equipment.

Currently, Ukraine is the most heavily mined country globally, with unexploded ordnance and mines filling arable fields. The largest areas of mined land are in the Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions. In Kherson region, over 208,000 hectares need to be surveyed, nearly 160,000 hectares in Kharkiv, and over 85,000 hectares in Mykolaiv regions. According to the World Bank, the prioritized demining of agricultural land is estimated to cost around $1.5 billion. Without surveying and demining, farmers cannot use these lands.

“The largest share of losses in the agricultural sector in the first year of the war is attributed to the destruction, damage, and theft of agricultural machinery, with estimated losses exceeding $4.7 billion. In second place is the destruction and theft of agricultural products, including grain, which the enemy successfully trades, shipping through the Black Sea via the Bosporus to Syria and Iran.”

— says ANTS analyst Ilya Neshchodovsky.

Furthermore, significant damage has been inflicted on agricultural infrastructure. The combined capacity of destroyed Ukrainian grain storage facilities is 8.2 million tons, with 3.25 million tons damaged for simultaneous storage. The estimated cost of their restoration is $1.33 billion.

Due to the blowing up of the Kakhovska Hydroelectric Power Station Dam, Southern Ukraine has been left without water. According to the research, Khersonska lost 92% of irrigation systems, Zaporizhzhia region lost 70%, and the southern parts of Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv regions lost up to 30% of water sources and irrigation systems. Only in Kherson region, 550-600 thousand hectares of irrigated land have been lost. Together with Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions, the losses amount to 1.5 million hectares.

In total, due to the war, 188,000 square kilometres of Ukrainian soil are at risk of damage and pollution. As of July 2023, in the combat zone, 298,000 hectares of forests and 1,438,000 hectares of grassland fires have been recorded. According to preliminary estimates, 5.5 million tons of pollutants were released into the air due to combat actions in Ukraine.

The blockade of Black Sea ports and restrictions on grain exports by the adversary have caused significant damage to Ukraine and the countries to which we supply agricultural products.

“From the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion, Russia blocked Ukrainian ports, manipulated the grain corridor, turning food into a weapon and blackmailing the world with famine. Thanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and weapons from our partners, we managed to carve a path for Ukrainian grain and restore the movement of ships. Now we need more air defense systems, long-range missiles, Taurus missiles, and aircraft to restore freedom of navigation in the Black Sea, to deliver our agricultural products worldwide, and to protect our farmers and fields.”

– notes Anna Hopko, co-founder of the International Center for Ukrainian Victory and chair of the board of the ANTS – National Interests Advocacy Network. 

Full text of research at the link