Denys Marchuk, the Ukrainian Agri Council (UAC) Deputy Chairman, spoke about significant steps taken to support agricultural producers in the de-occupied territories in his interview on ‘Pershyi’ TV channel.

In May, a resolution was adopted that allows farmers from the de-occupied territories to receive financial support for demining their land.

"All farmers who demined their plots before the program has started can also apply to the Center for Demining of Ukraine. Those who want to demine their land must submit the relevant documents through the State Agrarian Register (SAR), after which they will go through the Prozorro system. The companies that have been authorized to carry out demining will be engaged. About UAH 3 billion has been allocated from the state budget, of which 80% will be covered by the state and 20% will be raised by producers," said Denys Marchuk.

He emphasized that this is especially important for the de-occupied parts of Kherson, Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions, where farmers have been working without financial assistance for three years in a row.

"Even under the lending program, many agricultural producers are unable to take advantage of these loans because banks are hesitant to work with them due to high risks. To solve this problem, we need to strengthen the position of the NBU and the government, which act as guarantors of concessional lending. The 5-7-9 program should operate throughout Ukraine, including the frontline regions, and the government should guarantee it. Farmers are willing to pay interest on loans, but are often left without the necessary financial support," the expert believes.

Denys Marchuk also reminded about the farmers who left the occupied territories but are facing bank demands to repay their loans.

"These people are left with nothing, have moved to other territories and are unable to start their own business because they are in the register of debtors. Therefore, it is crucial to adopt the draft law No. 11180-1, which provides for the suspense of loans for enterprises from the occupied territories for the period of war," added the UAC Deputy Chairman.