The First Plot Cleared Under the Agricultural Land Demining Compensation Program

A mine action operator has successfully cleared the first plot of land under the state program for compensating agricultural land demining. This involves a total area of 487 hectares in the Kyiv region, owned by the Potato Research Institute of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine. The demining process, conducted by the operator UDS, lasted from October until the end of December last year.

"This is excellent news, as the compensation program was launched to return more agricultural lands to productive use. The fact that the first plot was handed over as early as January is a great start to the year. Overall, the Humanitarian Demining Center has signed 47 contracts with operators to clear over 9,500 hectares of agricultural land. This is a significant contribution to enhancing the safety of people living in areas affected by hostilities, as well as boosting economic activity in these regions," said Ihor Bezkharavainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine.

The demining work involved 78 sappers and 5 paramedics, supported by demining machinery. During the operation, sappers discovered remnants of small artillery shells and ammunition from handheld anti-tank grenade launchers, which were destroyed during the land clearance process. In total, specialists removed 623 kg of war remnants, including ammunition fragments and other elements.

The demining of the plot cost 15 million UAH—55% less than the estimated cost prepared for procurement. Five operators competed in the auction for the demining contract, reducing the final cost by 17 million UAH. As a result, clearing one hectare of land cost 30,800 UAH.

Reference Information: The program to compensate farmers for the cost of demining agricultural land was launched in September this year. It provides 100% coverage of the demining costs for ongoing projects and 80% reimbursement for lands that have already been cleared, provided the farmer has all the necessary documentation to confirm this. In 2024, more than 500 million UAH was spent under the program, and the 2025 budget allocates an additional 1 billion UAH for these purposes.