New rules for compensating for the costs of humanitarian demining of agricultural land have come into force in Ukraine. The Cabinet of Ministers updated the procedure for using budget funds, which will allow for more effective support for farmers affected by mine danger on their plots. The relevant changes were adopted in order to simplify procedures, expand access to financing and strengthen control over the use of funds.

According to the government representative in the Verkhovna Rada, Taras Melnychuk, the main innovation concerns the change of the body responsible for forming and approving the list of territories where hostilities were conducted or which were temporarily occupied. Now, instead of the Ministry for Reintegration, this function will be performed by the Ministry of Community and Territories Development of Ukraine. Such a step should speed up the process of updating the relevant lists and agreeing on land plots for demining.

At the same time, a list of documents that the agricultural producer must submit to the Humanitarian Demining Center after the completion of the services was clearly defined. These documents will serve as the basis for receiving compensation. Thus, the state seeks to ensure transparency of the process and prevent abuse.

Special attention has been paid to control the opening of escrow accounts in authorized banks - they will receive compensation funds. The agricultural producer is now obliged to open an account within 10 working days (instead of the previous five). If this deadline is violated, the application for participation in the program will be rejected. Thus, the responsibility of farmers for meeting the deadlines has been significantly strengthened.

According to People's Deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko, only those farmers who actually grow agricultural products on their own or leased land will be able to receive compensation. To receive compensation for partially contaminated areas, it is necessary to provide an official survey report from a certified demining operator.

Since the launch of the program in May 2024, 47 agreements have been concluded to clear more than 9,000 hectares of agricultural land. At the same time, out of 228 applications submitted as of April 22, 191 were rejected due to non-compliance with the criteria. To help farmers better navigate the program, the government has created a special website with complete information about the application process through the State Agrarian Register and the requirements for participants.