Budget-funded demining: first 100 agricultural land contracts completed
Since the start of the relevant budget program, operators of mine action have fulfilled 100 contracts for demining agricultural land. As a result, 16.4 thousand hectares of farmland have been returned to use, with the cost of completed work exceeding UAH 966 million.
“Today, operators have already cleared about a quarter of all identified contaminated agricultural land. More than half of this result was achieved only during 2025. We are gradually increasing the pace of humanitarian demining and the capacity of the sector. At the same time, we see high activity from applicants who want to work on their own land in safe conditions,” said Ihor Bezkaravainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy and Environment of Ukraine.
The leader both in the area of demined land and in the number of contracts is Kharkiv region, where operators completed 49 contracts covering 11.5 thousand hectares, with work valued at UAH 676.7 million. In Kyiv and Mykolaiv regions, approximately equal areas of farmland were cleared — 2.4 thousand hectares and 2.1 thousand hectares respectively. However, in Kyiv region the plots were significantly larger — 14 contracts worth UAH 136.6 million, compared to 32 contracts worth UAH 130.4 million in Mykolaiv. In Kherson region, 368 hectares were cleared under 5 contracts worth UAH 22.5 million.
“We are not only ensuring land clearance but also building a system of independent quality control. After the work is completed, it is important to confirm its quality as quickly as possible so that demined land does not remain idle but returns to cultivation. This allows farmers to resume work faster, ensuring effective use of budget funds and the restoration of agricultural production,” noted Volodymyr Baida, Director of the Humanitarian Demining Center.
This year, due to the renaming and expansion of the budget program, applications began to be accepted in April. As of July, verified applications for demining farmland amount to over UAH 925.2 million. The Humanitarian Demining Center has already signed 35 contracts for humanitarian demining of 5.7 thousand hectares worth UAH 580.3 million.
Background
The state program “Humanitarian Demining” provides full coverage of demining agricultural land that requires clearance, as well as 80% compensation for demining carried out between February 24, 2022, and April 15, 2024. Agricultural producers and state-owned enterprises (100% state-owned) whose land contamination is confirmed by the Mine Action Center may participate, provided they meet several requirements:
Not subject to NSDC sanctions
No tax debt as of the 1st day of the month preceding the application
Not subject to EU restrictive measures
No ultimate owners who are citizens of the aggressor state
Not in bankruptcy, liquidation, or termination proceedings
Not affiliated with a certified mine action operator with whom a contract is signed
Applications can be submitted through the State Agrarian Register (SAR). If this is not possible, applications may be filed through local authorities in paper or electronic form with an electronic signature.
In the 2026 State Budget, UAH 1.7 billion is allocated for humanitarian demining of agricultural land. In total, since the program began, mine action operators have returned more than 16 thousand hectares of farmland to use.