Losses to agricultural sector due to war have exceeded $4 billion
WEDNESDAY, 15 JUNE 2022, 19:00 - DANA GORDIYCHUK
Total losses to Ukraine's agricultural sector resulting from Russia’s military attack have reached $4.3 billion, with the largest losses due to the destruction or damage of land.
This is stated in the Review of Ukrainian Agricultural Losses from the War in Ukraine produced by the Centre for Food Research and Land Use at the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) Institute in conjunction with the Ministry of Agrarian Policy.
Thus, within the overall picture of damage, the largest losses recorded are due to the destruction or partial damage of agricultural land and crop failure - $2.1 billion.
In addition to direct damage to land, occupation, hostilities and mine pollution are limiting farmers' access to fields and their harvesting opportunities. It is estimated that 2.4 million hectares of winter crops worth $1.4 billion will remain unharvested due to Russian aggression.
The estimated cost of replacing and repairing damaged farm machinery reaches $926.1 million.
The agricultural land has itself suffered two significant types of damage - mine pollution and direct physical damage. The cost of surveying lands at high risk of mine contamination and demining them is estimated at $436 million.
In addition, the southern regions, which are currently suffering from Russian occupation and heavy fighting, are also the regions with the most developed irrigation infrastructure. The estimated cost of its replacement and repair is $225 million.
There is also evidence that Russia is deliberately eliminating silo capacity in order to weaken Ukraine's agricultural sector. The total amount of these losses is $272 million.
Animals are also dying because of the occupiers' actions. The estimated number of animals killed by Russian aggression in the affected areas is 42,000 sheep and goats, 92,000 cattle, 258,000 pigs and more than 5,700,000 poultry.
Losses in this sector are estimated at more than $136 million. Domestic animals die not only directly from active hostilities, but also from limited physical access to farms, and [farmers having] limited opportunities to purchase feed and provide veterinary services.
