The Ukrainian Agri Council (UAC) has sent an open letter to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Vitalii Koval regarding the emergency situation in Kherson region.

Farmers of Beryslav district of Kherson region, who have been working under the constant threat of occupation, shelling, and mining for the third year in a row, are facing a record drought.

“Nowadays, a crisis of unprecedented scale has arisen. Agricultural producers in Kherson region are facing the consequences of a catastrophic drought (the worst drought farmers can remember since Ukraine's independence), caused by: a sharp climate change after the destruction of the Kakhovka Reservoir; abnormally high temperatures in March; a virtual absence of precipitation in the spring; and late April frosts,” is mentioned in the appeal.

According to preliminary estimates, more than 55,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed in the region, and direct losses have already exceeded UAH 1 billion. The situation threatens the economic and social stability of the region.

“In many farms, the seed base has been completely destroyed, there is nothing to sow in the fall, some enterprises are already on the verge of bankruptcy, and without state support, this will lead to their complete bankruptcy and job losses. This will have dire consequences for Kherson region, as the inability to engage in agriculture will lead to the depopulation of this area as unfit for life, which will significantly complicate the Armed Forces of Ukraine's tasks of protecting it from Russian aggression,” is noted in the appeal.

The UAC urges the government to resolve the issue of immediate state support for farms in Kherson region in order to save them.