In October, farmers gained access to more than 24,000 hectares of land that had been surveyed and cleared of mines and explosives. Since the beginning of the year, state services and operators have surveyed over 289,000 hectares of agricultural land. Of this, more than 255,000 hectares have already been handed over to farmers for use.
"Mine clearance of agricultural land remains one of the key priorities of the Government. Each hectare cleared of mines and handed over to farmers means work for local people, it contributes to the economic development of the region and the country, and it helps restore the export potential of the state. Together with our partners, we are continuing to strengthen the capacity of operators and create the conditions to accelerate the clearing of the country's territory," said First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Yuliia Svyrydenko.
The areas with the most land surveyed are as follows:
- Kherson Oblast: 19,600 hectares in October, 230,400 hectares since the beginning of the year
- Mykolaiv Oblast: 2,400 hectares in October, 16,500 hectares since the beginning of the year;
- Kharkiv Oblast: 1,300 hectares in October, 21,500 hectares since the beginning of the year.
In October, 66 mechanical mine-clearing vehicles and 789 pyrotechnic teams — over 4,000 specialists in total — were involved in humanitarian demining and emergency response efforts.