Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy Taras Vysotsky stated that beginning this year, the cultivation of industrial hemp in Ukraine has been entirely deregulated. Now, anyone registered in the relevant registry can sow it.
“We expect that this will lead to a significant increase in the area of this crop, which will be actively sown in May,” he noted.
A two-year experimental period for cotton cultivation is also currently underway in Ukraine. Though this crop was first planted in the Odesa region only last year after a long hiatus, it shows great promise.
“The government has decided to allocate ₴10,000 per hectare of crops for agricultural producers in the Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions, because it is there that we can grow cotton under the proper climatic conditions,” the official said.
The expansion of cotton-producing areas is intended to promote the development of textile, light, and processing industries, reduce dependence on imports, and ensure a stable supply of raw materials for the defense industry. This year, the first cotton fields were established in the Mykolaiv region, covering approximately 3,000 hectares.