The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine hopes to attract donor funding within the framework of the state program for compensation for demining of agricultural lands, the press service of the ministry reported with reference to First Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko

"This year we will continue the program (the state program for compensation for demining of agricultural lands) and hope to attract donor funding to it in order to clear even more agricultural lands," the press service of the Ministry of Economy quoted the minister as saying.

The report notes that in January, farmers submitted 34 new applications for participation in the program.

Since the beginning of the program and as of February 1, the Center for Humanitarian Demining has concluded 50 agreements with operators to perform work on a total area of more than 9,300 hectares. The cost of work under the contracts is more than UAH 536.5 million.

As Svyrydenko noted, the government continues to work on strengthening capabilities in the field of mine action. Since the beginning of the year, the number of certified operators has increased to 82. Work is currently underway to automate certification processes, which will further accelerate the speed and convenience of obtaining certificates and will contribute to an increase in the number of operators in the market.

In addition, joint work with international partners is ongoing to strengthen the provision of operators with demining equipment and machinery. In particular, today Ukraine already has more than 200 mechanical demining machines, and the country has localized the production of foreign models of equipment