Ukraine is working to unify prices for demining services

The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine continues its active efforts to create a demining market in the country. One of the key areas of this work is the unification of approaches to determining prices for demining services, given the variety and complexity of the work to be performed.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Economy, a working meeting was held with the participation of Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine Ihor Bezkaravaynyi, UNODC experts and representatives of mine action operators (MAOs). The discussion focused on the principles of costing demining operations.

In particular, this year it is planned to launch a program to compensate farmers for demining their land plots with the participation of certified mine action operators. The state will partially compensate for the costs of these services, but an effective pricing system needs to be developed.

According to Bezkaravaynyi, it is important to create a pricing mechanism that would provide flexibility in determining prices for demining and be attractive to the RPOs, as well as ensure the efficient use of public funds.

Representatives of 17 RPOs provided their estimates of the cost of demining, which will allow unifying approaches to pricing depending on the complexity of the work.

In early February, the government approved a decision to launch a pilot project to certify the OPDs, which is an important step in creating a demining market in Ukraine. The new procedure simplifies procedures and reduces bureaucracy, which will help develop the sector and improve public safety.