Agricultural land in Ukraine is fading back in the picture amid the war courtesy of a landmine removal scheme.

According to a March 14 ministerial report, Kyiv had cleared 330,000 hectares of landmine-compromised agricultural land by end 2023.

So far, 200,000 acres of safe land have gone back to local farmers and will ensure timely sowing of spring grains. 

Ukraine’s agriculture ministry’s deputy, Denys Bashlyk, told Ukrinform news agency that reclaimed areas in Kherson and Kharkiv are ready for crops. 

For the 2024 season, there may be a shift in preference for soy over corn crop by large plantation farmers. The shift to soybeans largely remains one of logistical advantage. For one, it takes more wagons to transport corn due to its bulky weight than it takes to haul soy. For this reason, farmers are after a crop that is cheap to transport amid rising transit costs across Europe.

Ukraine has also reduced the 2024 harvest estimates for coarse grains to 76.1 million tonnes, below the previous projections of 82.6 million tonnes.

The new estimate will be lower than the output for oilseed and grain crops in 2023 worth 79.2 million tonnes.

That Ukraine will nearly maintain its production average is impressive given 26% of agricultural land is currently war-compromised.

A March 2024 study reveals that 10.5 million hectares are either under occupation by Russia or not ready for farming.

The study however balances its bleak outlook by citing that Ukraine has recovered 13.58% of land suitable for economic use. Strategic recoveries have happened around Kyiv and Chernihiv regions.

After demining reclaimed over 300,000 hectares,  land analysts expect Ukraine to have 48.11 million hectares that are ready for farming.

The country has also boosted forest land conversion into farmland by 16.73% since 2022, a countermeasure against arable land losses.