Senior government officials in charge of agriculture and other matters in Ukraine, where Russia's military invasion continues, visited Sendai City and inspected agricultural sites that have recovered from the Great East Japan Earthquake. The official said that he wanted to refer to Japan's efforts in reviving Ukrainian agriculture, saying that "the reconstruction was achieved with very high technology."
In Ukraine, one of the world's leading wheat-producing regions, the restoration and reconstruction of the agricultural sector has also become a major issue, as seen in the attack on many farmlands and water conservancy facilities by Russia's military invasion.
Six people, including a high-ranking official from Ukraine's Ministry of Agriculture and Food, who has been visiting Japan since the 16th of this month, visited Sendai City on the 6th to learn about the reconstruction efforts in the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
After inspecting the restored farmland and the drainage plant for agricultural water, the group exchanged opinions with local farmers.
Farmers talked about the difficulty of reviving agriculture as a regional industry after many farmers quit farming immediately after the earthquake.
In response, the Ukrainian side asked about what kind of support the affected farmers received from the government and how their agricultural management had changed.
Dmitrasevich, deputy minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of Ukraine, who led the delegation, said in an interview that he was interested in how agricultural facilities such as water conservancy facilities were restored in the affected areas, and that "I got the impression that the reconstruction was achieved with very high technology."
He also stated, "We were able to obtain important information about initiatives such as water conservancy systems and management," and expressed his desire to make use of the high technological capabilities and refer to the efforts of Japan, in which the government and farmers worked together to promote reconstruction.
Russian military attack causes major damage to agricultural sectors
In Ukraine, one of the world's leading exporters of grains, the agricultural sector has also been severely damaged by attacks by Russian troops.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of Ukraine, there are many cases where agricultural machinery, grain warehouses, water conservancy facilities, etc. are destroyed by attacks by Russian troops, and agriculture cannot continue.
In a report released last month, the World Bank estimated that Ukraine's agricultural sector would suffer $87.2000 billion, or more than 1.1000 trillion yen in Japan yen.
In addition, in Ukraine, there are many cases of civilians being damaged by landmines buried by the Russian army in farmland and forest roads.
The British Ministry of Defense also said on the 17th, "Damage to civilians by landmines in areas previously occupied by Russia is reported every day, and with the arrival of spring, the number of people doing agricultural work will increase, and the risk to citizens will increase," and analyzed that it will take at least 10 years to remove all landmines from Ukraine.
The Japan has provided agricultural assistance to Ukraine, including mine removal, provision of crop seeds to affected farmers, and provision of grain storage facilities, and the Japan government hopes to continue to support the recovery of agriculture.
Farmers are unable to plant enough, and business conditions continue to be difficult
In Ukraine, spring wheat and other crops are entering the sowing season, but farmers damaged by the invasion of the Russian army are unable to plant sufficiently, and their business situation continues to be difficult.
Among them, Petro Horodenko (65), who runs a farm near Bucha near the capital Kyiv, which was temporarily occupied by Russian troops at the beginning of the military invasion, destroyed his warehouse by Russian troops and looted or destroyed the farm equipment he stored, about 125.1 million dollars. It cost more than 6000 million yen in damage of Japan yen.
In addition, because the prices of soaring seeds and fertilizers and the inability to raise new funds from banks have led to less than half of the amount of wheat seeds prepared this year.
As a result, the area that can be planted this spring is expected to be less than one-quarter of about 500 hectares of the total of about 120 hectares, and a large area is still unplowed.
"The Russian army has destroyed my farm, and I am trying to repair and use old machinery because it is difficult to buy new farm equipment, but I need financial and technical help to get back on my feet, and I want help from all countries where I can help, including Japan," Horodenko said.
Mines and ammunition left by the Russian army in the fields as an obstacle to reconstruction
One of the obstacles to the revival of agriculture is the presence of explosives such as landmines and ammunition left in fields and other areas temporarily occupied by the Russian army.
Ukraine's Defense Minister Reznikov said on March 1 that it could take about 10 years to remove all of these remaining explosives in the country.
On the 30th, in the suburbs of the capital Kyiv, the local police released a video of blowing up landmines and other items recovered so far.
According to the police, although about 13,1800 hectares of land around Kyiv alone have been cleared of landmines and other land, explosives left by the Russian military are still frequently found in fields and forests, so they warned farmers and others.
A police official called for support from the international community, saying, "We have disposed of a huge amount of explosives so far, but we are still finding them every day, and the misfortune of involving people is happening, and it takes time and money to train personnel who can respond, there are not enough people, and the necessary equipment is insufficient."