On August 23, 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved important changes to Resolution No. 284, developed by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, which significantly alter the compensation conditions for agricultural producers involved in demining agricultural land. Specifically, the compensation amount for demining will be increased from 80% to 100%.
New Developments in the Compensation Program
According to the new rules, farmers with tax debts related to land payments or single tax payments can now also participate in the program if they are taxpayers under the single tax IV group. This step aims to expand the program’s participant pool and provide support to more agricultural producers affected by the conflict who need demining of their lands.
Additionally, the new requirements for procuring demining services stipulate that tenders must be held exclusively through auctions in the Prozorro system. To ensure transparency and competitiveness, auctions must involve at least two participants.
Procedure and Implementation
Under the new rules, the Center for Humanitarian Demining will soon announce the first tenders for demining services in the Prozorro system. This will be possible following the publication of the resolution, which takes effect from the date of publication. As of today, farmers have submitted 135 applications for demining 3,897 plots totaling over 17,252 hectares.
Farmers who own land in de-occupied areas, where a non-technical survey has confirmed or there is a likelihood of contamination by explosive objects, can participate in the program. The plots must be located beyond a 20-kilometer zone from the line of combat or state border.
Funding and Execution
The verification of submitted applications is carried out by the Center for Humanitarian Demining. The Center also announces auctions on Prozorro and, after determining the winner and the final demining cost, transfers 100% of the compensation amount to a special account opened by the farmer at one of the participating state banks. The mine action operator will receive the entire reserved amount only after the completion of demining and confirmation of the work by the Center.
These changes to the compensation program are a crucial step in supporting Ukrainian farmers in restoring agricultural lands affected by the war and will help ensure their continued effective operations in these areas.
We have previously reported that the free educational program “Stanford Ignite Ukraine” is launching.
