The Ministry of Economy wants to attract additional funds for demining forests and water bodies.

The Ministry of Economy announced that they plan to expand the compensation program for farmers for demining their lands next year.

During the meeting of the sectoral working group 'Humanitarian Demining', Deputy Minister of Economy Ihor Bezkaraivnyi reported that partners showed interest in such a program that operates transparently and delivers results.

'This year we opened the market for demining services and launched a compensation mechanism for farmers who use such services. We have already conducted 39 auctions, which resulted in a 17% reduction in costs. The compensation program has become very popular among farmers, so we will make its expansion one of the main priorities in 2025. The State Budget of Ukraine for next year provides 1 billion hryvnias for this program. We also plan to attract additional funds for its implementation to clear larger areas, including forests and water bodies,' said Ihor Bezkaraivnyi.

He also noted that specialists have already been able to return 35,500 square kilometers of Ukrainian land to productive use. Currently, there are more than 150 heavy demining machines in Ukraine, over 4,000 sapper soldiers, and 69 operators of mine action, with about 60 more operators undergoing certification.