Consequences of the terrorist attack on the Kakhovska HPP: experts assessed the loss of grain production

Losses in the production of agricultural products and oilseeds were estimated at about 1.4 million tons or about $367.9 million per year.

Before the full-scale war, Ukraine had about 379,000 hectares of land dependent on irrigation, 78% (297,000 hectares) depended on the Kakhovskyi Reservoir, told agricultural expert Andriy Bilenky during the Trend&Hedge Club in Kyiv.

According to him, the given data is the result of the study “Impact of the destruction of the Kakhovskaya dam on Ukrainian agriculture”, which was published by Project Expedite Justice.

The expert noted that approximately 1/3 or even 1/2 of the production of all agricultural crops in the Kherson region and in the south of Zaporizhzhia regions depended on irrigation.

“The losses in the three regions in terms of area amounted to about 140,000 hectares under grain crops and about 170,000 hectares under oil crops. Losses of areas under vegetables and fruits turned out to be small. But if we look at the loss of production volumes, it is about 850,000 tons of grain, about 500,000 tons of oil crops and almost 800,000 tons of vegetables and fruits,” Andriy Bilenky emphasized.

Financial losses due to the cessation of irrigation are estimated at approximately $367.9 million per year.

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