Volodymyr Baida: We Already Have 170 Demining Applications from Farmers

Volodymyr Baida, Director of the Humanitarian Demining Center, announced this during an interview on the "United News" telethon.

"The compensation program for farmers has been in effect since the summer, and we have adjusted it three times. Initially, farmers were supposed to receive half of the compensation, then 80%. Thanks to our fruitful cooperation with the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and the Secretariat, we have agreed that farmers will receive 100% compensation for demined lands.

Currently, we have received 170 applications from farmers in just over a month, with a total area of 25,800 hectares. This program also provides compensation for lands that have already been demined. We have 11 such applications and 38,000 hectares that farmers have demined since the beginning of 2022 until April 2024. Farmers will receive 80% compensation for these lands. 37 auctions have already been announced through the Prozorro system. 20 auctions have preliminary winners. 7.6 thousand hectares are already verified applications, and tenders have been held for 6.7 thousand hectares.

The most important thing for us is that demining operators have already started clearing these lands. Demining works still depend on the season. We hope that winter will allow us to work year-round, but this is not always the case. Understanding this, operators, even after signing contracts and without waiting for funds, went to the fields to free them as soon as possible and return them to farmers.

In addition, during the interview, Volodymyr Baida spoke about the launch of the humanitarian demining market in Ukraine. "We have attracted market participants: operators, farmers; we have also received state funds for demining, a methodology, and mechanisms for how they can be used in the demining sphere, and what is also important - we can demonstrate these transparent things to our partner countries."

For more details on the development of the humanitarian demining market in Ukraine, the compensation program for farmers, financial assistance from partner countries to support demining, and much more, watch Volodymyr Baida's interview for the "United News" telethon.

As a reminder, UDS has won several tenders and has already started demining work in Mykolaiv region at the request of the Humanitarian Demining Center."