🌾On 15 October, the International Scientific and Practical Conference was held at Odesa National Economic University "The role of cotton and other industrial crops for agricultural production in the context of climate change"The event was organised by the Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Institute of Plant Variety Expertise, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Regional Development Agency of Odesa Oblast and the NGO Agrarians of Odesa Oblast.

The event brought together the scientific community, government officials and producers around a strategic issue - finding ways to adapt the agricultural sector to climate challenges. The discussion showed that industrial crops, in particular cotton, can play a key role in shaping climate-resilient farming models.

📍 Leading scientists and managers addressed the participants with welcoming remarks.
Anatoly KovalevRector of Odesa National Economic University:
💬"We have a chance not just to respond to the global challenges of climate and martial law, but to create a new economy in the southern region - climate-oriented, high-tech and competitive. Cotton can become its symbol".

Raisa VozhegovaProfessor, Academician of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, Director of the Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture:

💬 "Our research has shown that with rising temperatures and decreasing moisture, cotton is one of the few crops that can provide stable yields and profitability in the southern regions. Ukraine has all the resources to restore its own cotton production and make it part of the country's climate strategy."

Taras VysotskyDeputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine:

💬"We are rethinking the role of industrial crops in the structure of agricultural production.
The state supports such initiatives - from research to implementation in production. And today, agricultural producers have such support - UAH 10,000 per hectare. Cotton is not only a raw material for light industry, it is an element of food security, exports and employment in the southern regions."

The plenary session, moderated by academician Yurii Lavrynenko, became a platform for in-depth scientific discussions and presentation of research results that form a new vision of the development of technical cultures in the Southern region.

The keynote addresses include a presentation by Vira Borovyk on the role of breeding in increasing cotton's resistance to abiotic stress,
Sergiy Melnyk's report with preliminary results of cotton growing research in 2024-2025, as well as
a report and presentation by Alla Stoyanova on the practical experience of Odesa region in growing this crop.

The international dimension was added by presentations by Shukhrat Abdualimov and Samvel Mkrtchyan from Uzbekistan, Nelly Valkova from Bulgaria and Alexandru Strat from Moldova, who shared their own experience in nutrition technologies, growth regulators and adaptation of technological processes to regional conditions.

Alla Stoyanova, deputy of the Odesa Regional Council, head of the NGO "Agrarians of Odesa Region", agrarian expert, noted that:

💬"Cotton is not exotic for Ukraine, but a historically inherent crop that can restore the lost opportunities of the southern steppe. The first research results show that under irrigation, the yield reaches 2.5-3.0 t/ha, the fibre yield is 35-40%, and the economic profitability exceeds 40%.

We see not just potential, but a ready-made model for the development of cooperatives, local processing and job creation. Cotton is the way to agricultural diversification, which means stability."

📌On receiving state support in the amount of UAH 10,000 per hectare for cotton farmers:

✍🏻Правове background
The Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 499 of 29 April 2025 amending the Procedure for the Use of State Support Funds for Agricultural Producers is in force.
This resolution specifies that cotton is included in the list of crops eligible for a budget subsidy per unit of cultivated land.

Terms of participation
To receive a subsidy, you must meet the following conditions:
✔️бути registered in the State Agrarian Register (SAR);
✔️не have tax arrears;
✔️не be in a state of bankruptcy or liquidation;
✔️не operate in the temporarily occupied territories or territories included in the sanctions lists.

📱Application process and deadlines
The application period started on 10 June 2025 and lasted until 10 July 2025.
Through the DAR system (electronic cabinet), farmers fill out a questionnaire, attach a certificate of cotton acreage and a certificate from the State Tax Service.
After reviewing the application, the regional commission makes a decision - positive or negative.
The programme has been extended for the next year, 2026, and the start date for applications will be specified in the SAR in advance.

Subsidy payments for 2025 are scheduled to be made to recipients' accounts from 15 September 2025.

🙏Special conditions for the combat zone
The resolution takes into account the risks, so additional payments are provided for the territories where military operations are underway or where state electronic resources are partially operational - in particular, UAH 1,000 or UAH 2,000 per hectare, depending on the category of territory.

Programme objective and strategic context
The programme has a double meaning:
✔️стимулювати revival of strategic crop cultivation in regions with suitable climatic conditions;
✔️забезпечити the state with raw materials, in particular for the defence industry (in terms of nitrocellulose and textile raw materials).

🔥Conference resolution and appeal to the Verkhovna Rada: a step towards the strategic revival of cotton farming

The conference resulted in the adoption of a resolution initiated by Alla Stoyanova. The document is addressed to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and relevant ministries.

The resolution emphasises the need to create a separate state support programme aimed, among other things, at establishing a modern laboratory for analysing cotton/cotton quality indicators in Ukraine at the Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, as they are the developers of Ukrainian cotton breeding.

"Without our own laboratory facilities, we cannot fully develop cotton farming - from breeding to export. The quality of Ukrainian fibre must be confirmed in Ukraine, not abroad. This is not only a matter of economy, it is a matter of state independence," Alla Stoyanova stressed.

Today, the closest certified laboratory that conducts internationally recognised cotton quality tests (according to HVI (High Volume Instrument) standards) is located in Romania. Ukrainian scientists and producers are forced to send samples abroad, which slows down research, increases costs and limits the development of the domestic market.

With the growing demand for natural fibres, the creation of the national laboratory is a step not only towards scientific sovereignty, but also towards the formation of a new industrial chain that will unite the agricultural sector, processing, textile and defence industries.

Cotton is a strategic raw material. It is used to make fabrics for military uniforms, medical materials, and nitrocellulose, which is a component of gunpowder and explosives. Domestic cotton production is a matter of national security, economic sustainability and technological independence.
The resolution calls on the parliament and the government:

• provide budget funding for the establishment of a laboratory to study fibre quality indicators, among other things;
• support research institutions in developing adaptive cotton varieties and technologies for the southern regions;
• expand the state programme to support the cultivation of industrial crops to include funding for research, breeding and product certification.

💡 Looking to the future
The conference participants emphasised: "Ukraine has all the prerequisites to become a new cotton growing centre in Eastern Europe. This requires synergy between government policy, science and entrepreneurship.
Alla Stoyanova summed up:
"We are laying the foundation for the future. Cotton is not just a culture, it is a symbol of the revival of the Ukrainian South, new opportunities and our belief in ourselves. The time has come for agricultural science and strategic industry to work together side by side for the sake of a strong state."

🤝The conference has become a space for scientific dialogue and constructive solutions aimed at shaping climate-oriented agricultural policy.
The involvement of Ukrainian and international experts demonstrated the readiness of the scientific community to work together to create a new production model that is sustainable, innovative and open to change.