On the brink of extinction. What’s wrong with farmers' bookings?

The Ukrainian system of mobilization deferment for employees of critical enterprises has proven to be highly opaque and flawed. There are also many questions regarding the sector-specific criteria for criticality established by ministries and regional military administrations.

For instance, according to the criteria set by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, a critical enterprise in agriculture must manage at least 500 hectares of agricultural land. This poses no issue for large agribusinesses, but it is a challenge for farmers...

Read more in the publication: "Features of National Deferment: What Awaits Us from March 1 and Why the System is Malfunctioning".

The Honorary President of the Association of Farmers and Private Landowners of Ukraine, Ivan Tomich, explains to "Telegraph" that the overwhelming majority of farms in Ukraine (over 85%) have an area of up to 120 hectares.

— These are family-owned farms of the European type. Now, these farms cannot even discuss the possibility of reserving the head of the household or workers. That is, the conditions are set one way, while the actual situation is quite different. Today, farms find themselves in a survival situation, and perhaps even facing extinction by spring 2025. We are moving towards Europe, which is fundamentally agrarian. We may reach that point, but without the Ukrainian farmer, — says the agricultural expert.

Recently, the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada appealed to the government to lower the threshold from 500 hectares, but the sector-specific criteria remain unchanged.

Let us remind you that earlier "Telegraph" reported on when a reserved man may be mobilized.