Agriculture near Chernobyl NPP remains prohibited due to radiation danger

The area around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant remains excluded from the list of lands suitable for agricultural use. Government authorities emphasize that farming in this zone is strictly prohibited due to current legislation and the high level of radiation danger.

This is reported by AgroReview

Radiation Contamination Zones and Current Legislative Restrictions

After the 1986 disaster, the territories around Chernobyl were divided into several zones based on the level of contamination. The exclusion zone and the zone of unconditional mandatory resettlement are recognized as particularly dangerous, where any economic activities related to agriculture are prohibited. In the Zhytomyr region, which borders Chernobyl, there are also areas that fall into these categories, and the same restrictions apply there.

Comment on Scientific Publications Regarding Land Use Possibilities

Recently, scientific publications have emerged claiming that certain resettled areas may already be safe for economic use. However, government authorities stress that the studies referenced by scientists were conducted not near Chernobyl, but in areas of the Zhytomyr region that do not fall within the most dangerous zones.

“The legal regime of these zones does not change without an official procedure for reviewing their status, and the conclusions of individual studies on specific plots do not annul legislative prohibitions.”

Thus, the issue of land use near the Chernobyl NPP for farming remains strictly regulated, and any changes are only possible after an official review of the status of the territories within the framework of established legal procedures.