Ukraine to subsidize cotton growers amid strategic crop revival

For the first time, Ukraine is introducing state financial support for cotton producers in the southern regions, according to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food. This initiative aims to revive the cultivation of cotton, a crop considered strategically important.

Cotton has particular value during wartime, as cellulose from the plant is used in the production of gunpowder.

Under the new program, farmers in the Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions will receive a subsidy of UAH 10,000 per hectare of cultivated cotton.

Applications for support can be submitted between June 10 and July 10, 2025, and payments are scheduled to begin on September 15.

Both legal entities and individual entrepreneurs are eligible, provided they meet several conditions: they must be registered in the State Agrarian Register, have no outstanding tax debts, and must not be operating in temporarily occupied territories, among other criteria.

Applications must be submitted via the government portal dar.gov.ua, along with the required documents and an electronic signature.

In 2024, Ukraine conducted a pilot project on cotton cultivation. In the Odesa region, test plantations totaling 5 hectares were established across eight farms and one research site operated by the Ukrainian Institute of Plant Variety Expertise. The experiment was successful, with cotton bolls fully developing.

However, growing cotton in southern Odesa proved challenging without irrigation. In contrast, the Institute's test fields, located further north, managed to produce a viable crop on boggy soils without irrigation.