Trial cotton crops were planted in Odesa this spring at 8 farms and one research site of the Ukrainian Institute for Plant Variety Examination. These are small plots of 0.2 to 0.5 hectares. This was announced by Vitalii Koval, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.

According to him, farmers received 110 kg of cotton seeds, which were sown on an area of more than 5 hectares. A total of five varieties of cotton were imported to Ukraine: two from the U.S., two from Germany and one from Turkey.

“Cotton is a crop used to make gunpowder. In wartime, such raw materials are extremely important for Ukraine. In addition, cotton can also be used to produce fabric and oil. Next year, we expect to increase the area to 30,000 hectares. The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food is planning to launch appropriate financing programmes for farmers who take up this business,” Vitalii Koval said.

As a reminder, in April 2024, the Verkhovna Rada supported the law on simplifying cotton registration.