Due to the war, Ukraine has lost a quarter of its arable land, according to an expert.

Russia's aggression against Ukraine has resulted in significant losses for agricultural producers. Specifically, approximately a quarter of the sown areas have been lost.

This was stated by RBK-Ukraine CEO of the "Ukrainian Agrarian Club" Oleg Khomenko.

"According to estimates by the World Bank, direct and indirect losses for agriculture during the years of war exceed 80 billion dollars. This includes infrastructure, production capacities, storage assets for grain, and so on. We see a substantial impact on rail and port infrastructure. We have also lost about 25% of sown areas," he said.

He noted that since last autumn, during the peak of Ukrainian grain exports, the Russians have been trying to obstruct this by striking the infrastructure of Black Sea ports.

"This is our main route, through which we export 90% of agricultural products, and its operation is crucial. This is a very sensitive issue. They (the Russians - ed.) are aware of this, exploit it, and therefore, alongside strikes on energy, they also target port infrastructure," Oleg Khomenko stated.

These enemy actions, in addition to direct damages, lead to an increase in the costs of insurance services that cover maritime transportation.

The war has crippled harvest volumes, but agricultural producers have managed to gradually increase grain exports. According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, the harvest of grains, legumes, and oilseeds in 2022 decreased by 37% compared to the pre-war year of 2021, totaling 67.7 million tons. In 2023, the situation improved with a harvest of 81.6 million tons, and as of November 8, 2024, the harvest volume stood at 68.9 million tons.

infographic RBK-Ukraine

It should be noted that according to the World Bank's estimates, as of the end of 2023, the total economic, social, and other monetary losses of Ukraine from the war amount to 499 billion dollars.