Mass Death of Winter Crops in Kherson Region: Farmers’ Losses Reach One Billion Hryvnias

Agrarians in the Kherson region are facing a large-scale crisis due to the mass death of winter and spring crops, which is particularly felt in the Beryslav district. Farmers describe the situation as unprecedented in the modern history of the region.

This is reported by AgroReview

Scale of Losses and Causes of the Disaster

According to preliminary estimates, the area of destroyed crops exceeds 55 thousand hectares. This has led to direct financial losses for local farms amounting to nearly 1 billion hryvnias, and these estimates only pertain to officially declared areas. As farmer Ihor Yosypenko notes,

“According to preliminary estimates, over 55 thousand hectares of crops have been destroyed, resulting in nearly 1 billion hryvnias in direct losses for local farmers — and this is only for the areas that have already been declared. In my opinion, this is not just a drought as a natural phenomenon — it is a complex agro-ecological disaster that has resulted from a radical change in the hydrothermal regime of the region (due to the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station, — ed. note).”

The main factors contributing to the crop loss were critically low precipitation during the cold season, abnormally high temperatures in March, and late frosts in April. The lack of irrigation following the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station has led to the actual loss of crops in a significant portion of agricultural enterprises.

Agrarians’ Needs and Appeals to Authorities

An initiative group of farmers has already appealed to the relevant ministry, the regional council, and the leadership of the regional military administration, demanding real state assistance. Alongside direct financial losses, most farms have lost their seed base and find themselves unable to sow new crops in the fall. Some enterprises are on the brink of bankruptcy.

Among the most pressing needs of the agricultural sector are:

• compensation for losses;
• preferential loans to support operations;
• restoration of planting material.

Yosypenko emphasized that during the years of Ukraine’s independence, agrarians do not remember a drought of this magnitude. According to him, “Water is the foundation of life. Its loss, caused by the actions of the enemy, has become not only a strategic blow but also an ecological tragedy, the consequences of which we will feel for a long time.”