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Ukraine lost up to 16% of its cultivated land — Kherson authorities

It would be a considerable loss for any economy, head of the Kherson region's agriculture department Igor Grigoryev remarked

KHERSON, June 29. /TASS/. After the liberation of Ukraine’s Kherson and Zaporozhye regions and the Donbass area, the Kiev government lost up to 16% of its cultivated lands, head of the Kherson region's agriculture department Igor Grigoryev has told TASS.

"The Kherson region harvested up to 3 million tonnes in its most plentiful years. Considering that Ukraine’s total harvest was approximately 60-70 million tonnes, it would make about 5%. Another 6% were harvested in Zaporozhye. The liberated territories of the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk account for 3-4%. This makes 13-16% in total, which, in my opinion, would be a considerable loss for any economy," Grigoryev said.

In his words, the Kiev government believes it has already lost one quarter of its cultivated land.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal reported on June 8 that this year’s sowing campaign was carried out at 75% of territories used last year. At the same time, the government faced a number of difficulties during this spring's season, including the need to export remains of last year’s harvest, which, according to the Kiev government, amount to 23.5 million tonnes. Besides, Ukraine’s agriculture sector is facing fuel shortages at the moment.

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