Before the onset of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation, Ukraine provided food for approximately 400 million people worldwide and actively exported agricultural products to countries in the European Union, North Africa, and Asia. Ukraine accounted for about 10% of all global grain supplies.
This is reported by Business • Media
The Scale of the De-mining Problem in Ukrainian Lands
However, due to military aggression and widespread landmining, a significant portion of Ukrainian agricultural land has become inaccessible for cultivation. Currently, about 20% of agricultural land, or nearly 6 million hectares, remains unusable. The total area of potentially contaminated land with explosive remnants exceeds 138,000 square kilometers, which is more than 22% of Ukraine’s territory.
It is critically important to return these lands to use as quickly as possible, noted Dmytro Salimonov, a top manager at Global Clearance Solutions in Ukraine (GCS), a company specializing in the removal of explosive threats.
Experts estimate that complete de-mining of Ukraine requires funding of $30 billion. Of this, clearing only agricultural areas could cost between $10 and $15 billion.
Economic Impact and Investment Prospects in De-mining
Investments in humanitarian de-mining are not just expenses, but a strategic investment in economic recovery. Every dollar invested brings more than four dollars in economic benefits in the long term due to GDP growth, job creation, and the return of residents to their home communities. The restoration of production, export of agricultural products, increased budget revenues, and overall revitalization of economic activity in cleared areas ensure a quick return on such investments.
Currently, over 70 specialized machines from GCS are operating in Ukraine, and the total investment in de-mining for 2023-2024 has exceeded 2 million euros.
The company is convinced that a systematic approach to de-mining will allow Ukraine not only to regain its status as an agricultural leader but also to become an example for the world by establishing new global standards in the field of humanitarian de-mining.