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Ukraine Faces Agricultural Crisis as Locusts Destroy Crops in Frontline Regions
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
A large-scale locust invasion is threatening sunflower and other key crops in Ukraine’s southern regions, as the ongoing war with Russia has rendered traditional pest control methods nearly impossible, according to officials and producers, according to Reuters on July 30.
Locusts, capable of destroying vast areas of farmland within days, typically breed in secluded areas near rivers or on uncultivated land—areas that are now largely inaccessible due to proximity to active frontlines. The situation is further exacerbated by record-high temperatures this summer, the inability to deploy aircraft for pesticide application, and the absence of birds—locusts’ natural predators—which are avoiding the combat zone.
In the Zaporizhzhia region, swarms of locusts have covered roads, fields, and vegetation. Farmers report losing up to a third of their sunflower crops, Reuters reported.
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“We saw a big swarm. And the next day the 'infantry' marched in. The small ones, they ate everything that was hanging low, they ate everything,” said Oleh Tolmatov, a 46-year-old resident of Kushuhum village.
Ukraine, the world’s leading exporter of sunflower oil and a top-five global wheat exporter before the full-scale invasion, relies heavily on its southern regions—Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Kherson—for grains and oilseeds. According to Reuters, many of these areas remain under partial Russian occupation, forcing farmers to abandon large swathes of land,.
“The reason for all of this is high temperatures, the reason for all of this is abandoned land, the reason for all of this is the corresponding Russian aggression,” said Vadym Chaikovskyi, Ukraine’s Chief Phytosanitary Inspector, in comments to Reuters.
Denys Marchuk, deputy head of Ukraine’s largest agricultural union UAC, added that the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam on the Dnipro River by Russian forces two years ago created extensive swampy areas—ideal breeding grounds for locusts.
Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a new law designed to enhance the protection of property rights for good faith land acquirers.
The legislation, titled “On Amendments to the Civil Code of Ukraine to Strengthen the Protection of the Rights of a Good Faith Acquirer,” was approved by the Ukrainian parliament and is expected to bolster the country’s investment climate.
