Demining of farmland: over 12,000 hectares returned to use in 2025

Over 12,000 hectares of agricultural land have been returned to productive use by humanitarian demining operators under the state compensation program for demining costs in 2025. In total, 61 contracts concluded by the Humanitarian Demining Center with auction winners were completed during the year. The total value of the works amounted to nearly UAH 713 million, according to the Ministry of Economy.

“As of today, we have already returned more than 12,000 hectares. This year alone, the Humanitarian Demining Center signed contracts to clear over 17,000 hectares worth UAH 1.17 billion. The launch of the program has generated market demand for demining machines, advanced technologies, and state-provided services,” said Ihor Bezkaravainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture.

An important step was the expansion of the compensation program to households. Owners and tenants of agricultural plots can also apply for demining if their land has been affected by the war. According to preliminary estimates, nearly one million hectares of farmland meet these criteria. By the end of the year, dozens of applications from individual farmers who meet the program requirements had already been submitted.

In 2025, the Ministry of Economy worked to simplify the certification procedure for demining operators. In May, the government adopted a decision enabling certification for most processes via the Diia portal, and in autumn the Ministry of Economy, together with partners, introduced the necessary functionality.

Operators who have used this option note the speed and convenience of application submission and review. Overall, in 2025, the number of humanitarian demining operators almost doubled — from 73 to 134.