"Open season on farmers": a farmer said there is a threat of mobilization for small farms
Farmers with small land holdings are at risk
The founder of Growex Agro Digital Holding Bohdan Lukiyanchuk, known on social media as “Bohdan Agronom”, said there is a threat to small and medium-sized farming enterprises due to changes in approaches to designating enterprises as critically important.
He published his position on his page on TikTok.
According to him, because of the new requirements small farms may lose the ability to reserve workers.
“In Ukraine a hunting season for small farmers has been opened, and not only small ones. The hunting season for medium farmers has also been officially opened. What I mean is this. We are supposedly moving toward the European Union, where the basis of the economy is the small farmer, up to 150 hectares. In Ukraine, the average farming enterprise is 300 hectares.
And because of certain scandals at the Ministry of Economy they raised the threshold, so through the Ministry of Economy they can reserve, obtain critical status and then reserve so many — one thousand plus. And everyone who has 150 and more can have you recognized as critical through the OVA.
So, forget it. That’s it, it’s all over. Now the OVA grants critical status only from 150 hectares and up. That means everyone who has less than 300 hectares, you are now not farmers, you are now not critical, you are now not valuable, you are now not the basis of the economy. The hunting season is officially open,” – said Bohdan Lukiyanchuk.
24 June 2026 the Ministry of Economy approved Order No.6954 with new criteria for determining enterprises that are important for sectors of the national economy. The document entered into force on 3 July 2026. Previously adopted decisions regarding enterprise criticality must be reviewed by 1 September 2026.
For agricultural enterprises one of the sectoral criteria became the cultivation of at least 1,000 hectares of agricultural land. Alternative indicators are having at least 50 hectares of perennial plantations or annual revenue of at least 40 million hryvnias. An enterprise must also meet general requirements, including absence of tax debt and a required level of average wages.
At the same time, the claim about a mandatory threshold of 150 hectares concerns the practice or criteria of certain regional military administrations: Order No.6954 does not establish a general rule for all OVAs. Authorized bodies may apply their own additional criteria when determining enterprises as critically important.
Previously we wrote:
