In a tractor decorated with the Ukrainian flag, farmer Yaroslav Shakalo is well on his way to spring.
He has built the tractor, like most of the farm, himself. The 60-year-old is a Ukrainian version of Reodor Felgen, and now he drives neat runs back and forth across the field.
– Rapeseed, wheat, oats, soy, barley and buckwheat, Yaroslav recalls when TV 2 asks him what kind of grain he grows.
See the report about Yaroslav here:
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With its 800 hectares, the 60-year-old is not a major producer by Ukrainian standards. But right now, every meter of arable land is valuable.
– In fact, the soil here is not so fertile, it is a bit too sandy. The best soil is found further east, outside Lviv county, says Yaroslav.
The war in the granary
Ukraine was the world’s granary, but now the war is raging in the south and east, those parts of the country with the best arable land.
Instead of tractors, Russian soldiers are trampling down the fields. Ukrainian farmers have either enlisted in the Home Guard or are on the run. Many fields are mined.
– WAR RUNS: Ukrainian authorities estimate that crops will be halved this year due to the war. Photo: SERGEY BOBOK
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– At the moment we must first and foremost fight for our land, then we can talk about cultivating it, says Yaroslav.
But he is worried about the consequences.
Ukraine produces half of all sunflower oil sold. They are the world’s third largest exporter of wheat, and the fourth largest exporter of maize.
– It is clear that it will have consequences for agriculture in those areas. It all depends on when the war ends, but it is clear that it will lead to problems anyway, says Yaroslav.
– BUSY: Våronna is in full swing, and grain farmer Yaroslav Shakalo is sowing oats. Photo: Aage Aune / TV 2
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His daughter, Olesyia, says farmers in the west now feel an extra responsibility. So far, this part of Ukraine has been relatively spared the worst acts of war and they can operate as normal.
– Yes, we feel a responsibility because we need to give people food. Now it’s up to us here in the west, says the 28-year-old.
– Ukraine is one of the largest exporters of cereals and maize, so this will not only lead to problems for us in Ukraine, but for Europe, Asia and the rest of the world.
Worried
A future famine disaster was also a theme then The UN security council met on Tuesday. In the minutes of the meeting, the delegates addressed the fatal consequences that the war in Ukraine could have for food security in the world.
And it is first and foremost poor countries that will be hit the hardest.
– This means that millions more people will have to go to bed without having had enough food during the day, says Secretary General of the Norwegian Red Cross, Bernt G. Apeland.
– Secretary General of the Red Cross Bernt Apeland in front of the cargo of medical equipment going to Ukraine earlier in March. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB
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He was in Ukraine this week to assist in strengthening humanitarian aid to the country, but is also concerned about how the war will affect global food supplies.
– This will affect those who already have the worst. On top of the corona, climate and increased energy prices, there will now also be less access to food, says Apeland.
– Prices in Afghanistan have already risen by 40 percent, and now they will rise even more. This means that mothers who are just now able to give their children enough food will no longer be able to do so.
– A deadly cocktail
Minister for Development Aid Anne Beathe Tvinnereim fears that food shortages will have catastrophic consequences for a number of countries.
– We were very worried about food prices already in the autumn of last year. With the Ukraine war at the top, this is a deadly cocktail of high food prices and high fertilizer prices, says Tvinnereim to TV 2.
– STEPPING UP: The Minister for Development Aid says that Norway will step up development assistance for food security. Photo: Aage Aune / TV 2
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It is the most vulnerable countries that will be hit hardest and Tvinnereim is particularly concerned about the situation in Yemen.
– Norway is now making huge amounts of money on oil and gas due to the war. Should we do more to help this situation?
– We do a lot, and we do a lot in the short term through humanitarian efforts. We will also step up aid for food security so we can prevent food crises and hunger in the future, says Tvinnereim.
Must have the freedom to cultivate the land
The Shakalo family is aware that a precondition for Ukraine to remain the world’s granary is that the country remains free.
– If the Russians get all the way to this area, everything will go to hell. The idea of working as a slave in a country that is not free ….
He lets the sentence hang in the air. The 60-year-old knows all too well what it means to live under Russian oppression. His farm is called “We will return”, and for good reason.
– TV 2 IN UKRAINE: Reporter Hilde Gran and photographer Aage Aune. Photo: Oleksandr Techynskyi / TV 2
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– Dad’s family, my grandparents, were sent to Siberia, says Olesyia.
She says that her father returned to the Komariv district when he was eight years old. In 1981 he bought seven hectares of land. This has now grown to the 800 hectares the family has today.
Now Yaroslav fears that history will repeat itself.
– I do not want my children and grandchildren to have to start again. It is our great trauma, fear and problem.
Therefore, he believes the most important thing now, after all, is that Ukraine retains all its land.
– I do not want, can not, work in a country that is not free. That’s an incredible thought.
