25% Of Ukraine's Arable Land Lost To War: Kyiv
Sumaira FH Published June 14, 2022 | 12:19 AM
Ukraine has lost a quarter of its arable land since Russia's invasion, notably in the south and east, the deputy agriculture minister said Monday while insisting that food security is not threatened
Kyiv, Ukraine, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Jun, 2022 ) :Ukraine has lost a quarter of its arable land since Russia's invasion, notably in the south and east, the deputy agriculture minister said Monday while insisting that food security is not threatened.
"Despite the loss of 25 percent of arable land, crop planting this year is more than sufficient" to ensure food for the population, Taras Vysotskiy told a news conference.
He said national consumption levels had fallen "due to mass displacement and external migration" as millions fled to escape the fighting.
More than seven million people are estimated to have been displaced within Ukraine by Russia's war, figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) show.
But another 7.3 million have fled abroad, more than half of them to Poland.
Despite the significant loss of land to the Russians, "the current situation of crop planting areas.. does not pose a threat to Ukraine's food security," he said.
"Ukrainian farmers managed to prepare relatively well for sowing before the war started," he said.
"In February, Ukraine had already imported about 70 percent of necessary fertilisers, 60 percent of disease control products and about a third of the required fuel" for sowing, he said.
However, the invasion of several regions by Russian troops and the ongoing blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports, preventing the export of grain, forced Ukrainian farmers "to change what they were sowing and how much," Vysotskiy said.
Before the war, Ukraine had more than 30 million hectares of arable land, according to the international NGO World Data Center-Ukraine.
Despite Vysotskiy's reassurances that the war is not threatening Ukraine's domestic food supplies, the UN has warned the conflict risks tipping tens of millions around the globe into food insecurity, with the risks of malnutrition, mass hunger and famine.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said about 20-25 million tonnes of grain were currently blocked in Ukrainian ports, a figure which could rise to 70-75 million tonnes by the autumn.
Before the war, Ukraine was the world's fourth-largest supplier of wheat and maize.
Between them, Russia and Ukraine produce 30 percent of the global wheat supply.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
HEC reviews curricula for environmental sciences degree programme
ICC Asia looking forward to an action-packed Asia Cricket Week
Yuvraj Singh named ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador
Greece hands Olympic flame to 2024 Paris Games hosts
Two Kyiv hospitals evacuating over feared Russian strikes
World must act on neurotech revolution, say experts
Charles & Catherine's cancer diagnoses
Champions Alcaraz and Sabalenka through in Madrid Open
King Charles to resume some public duties during cancer treatment: palace
US defense chief announces $6 bn in security aid for Ukraine
Heavy rains cause damage to Spezand-Taftan railway track
Woman stabbed in Israel, attacker killed: police
More Stories From World
-
NFL will allow players to wear Guardian Cap helmets in games
4 hours ago -
Football: German Bundesliga table
4 hours ago -
Football: Italian Serie A result
4 hours ago -
Football: German Bundesliga results
4 hours ago -
US troops to leave Chad in second African state withdrawal
4 hours ago -
Plastics pollution may be solved without production cap: Canada minister
4 hours ago
-
Biden stalls on menthol cigarette ban fearing Black vote backlash
4 hours ago -
Champions Alcaraz and Sabalenka through in Madrid Open
4 hours ago -
6,000 French police to welcome Olympic torch amid bonus boost
5 hours ago -
Taiwan hit by several quakes, strongest reaching 6.1-magnitude
5 hours ago -
'Ballistic' Bairstow stars as Punjab pull off record T20 chase
5 hours ago -
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 2nd update
5 hours ago