Ukraine Charges Heavy Demining Push to Revive War-Torn Farms

Article content

(Bloomberg) — Nine months of Russian occupation have left more than half of Inna Boiko’s 50,000-acre farm in southern Ukraine littered with shells, burned materials, and dangerous landmines. When he and hundreds of other farmers returned to their villages in Mykolayiv region in November 2022, he was determined to clear the fields and replant.

Article content

But in the early days of the war, Boiko was left to his own devices as to how to do that, using makeshift drones and other DIY hacks to clear hazards in what has become the world’s most mined country. Since then, the Ukrainian government has used its power to get international aid, attracting a lot of special equipment from Japan and funds from philanthropist Howard Buffett with amazing results.

“Now we are knocking on every door, talking about money, equipment – any way to support us,” Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko told reporters in October.

Although Ukraine remains the world’s largest supplier of crops, a drop in its production since the start of the war has strengthened stocks of corn, wheat and sunflower oil. Russia has also recently stepped up attacks on cargo ships in the Black Sea and this year’s drought has disrupted farmers in the region, adding to supply risks as world food prices rise.

Safe access to agricultural land is essential in a country known as Europe’s food basket, and de-bombing Ukraine could take decades. At the beginning of the attack, more than 174,000 square kilometers of its territory were covered with explosive mines, an area larger than Greece. But accelerated efforts have made nearly 20 percent of the land reclaimed as of this year – helping to preserve an important resource for agriculture and jobs.

Article content

Article content

In Mykolayiv, where Boiko’s farm is located, clearing just one hectare of land could lead to an additional four tons of grain, and demining the entire region would add 3 million tons – the equivalent of all the grain exported to Ukraine in October.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Ukraine has lost about a third of the land it originally used to grow grain and oilseeds. The regions from Kharkiv in the northeast to Odesa in the southwest were badly damaged and overpopulated in the first year of the war, but were previously among the most grain-growing areas.

The Howard G. Buffett Foundation has joined the 2022 campaign and is one of the largest donors providing technical solutions, including equipment. A veteran farmer, Buffett – who is the son of Warren Buffett – said he “didn’t invent anything new” and worked with engineers to convert tractors and tractors into remote-operated devices, or with drivers to inspect and clear land.

“Many senior leaders have said this is how we can help farmers and the economy recover,” Buffett said in an interview in Kyiv.

Article content

Companies such as Deere & Co., Caterpillar Inc., Kinze Manufacturing Inc. even the Illinois State Bomb Squad has stepped in to help, providing engineering expertise to design and test equipment that goes ahead of the harvesters to absorb the blast. Countries including Canada, Switzerland, Germany and Japan have contributed a total of approximately $1 billion in aid to aid de-mining efforts.

Japan is, in fact, one of Ukraine’s largest providers of non-military financial aid. By the end of this year, a third of all Ukrainian bomb disposal equipment will be made in Japan, according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

However, Ukraine still needs more technology and equipment, according to Buffett, mining pollution has been a problem for “decades.”

The experience of Ukrainian grain producer and trader Nibulon SA shows how challenging it is to sustain an agricultural economy. The company had to clear about 5,000 hectares of plantations in the Mykolayiv region that were littered with explosives, an effort that would have cost more than simply buying new untouched land. It chose to develop a de-mining branch of the company, which provides services to 3,500 small farmers who sell grain to Nibulon for export.

Article content

Currently, the demining business is being lost as farmers cannot afford these services, said Nibulon’s director of government relations, Mykhailo Rizak. But he believes it could one day become an export-oriented market or industry, he said, as new technologies are developed and scaled up. The Ukrainian government plans to introduce compensation for decommissioning, a move that will help boost demand for Nibulon’s services, Rizak said.

Boiko, a farmer from the Mykolayiv region, has also made slow but steady progress. Most of his land has been used for cultivation as well, supplying grain and vegetables to restaurants in Kyiv and elsewhere. But about 10% remains heavily polluted and can only be cleared with the help of drones and heavy bulldozers.

“This is a long-term problem. This is decades and decades of work,” said Guy Rhodes, who coordinates the programs of two organizations of the United Nations, the World Food Program and the Food and Agricultural Organization, to help farmers and households to return to farming their land safely.

“You cannot erase every square meter in the country. It doesn’t happen. You have to prioritize where you put your property,” he said.

Article content