Will Ukrainian cotton help Ukrainian gunsmiths?
30 October 2024 12:35
The first harvest of cotton planted on test plantations is nearing completion in Odesa region. This was reported by the parliamentary committee on agrarian and land policy, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Eight farms and one research site of the Ukrainian Institute of Plant Variety Expertise have been allocated for cotton. Farmers plan to receive 110 kg of cotton seeds. They sowed it on an area of more than 5 hectares.
Cotton is widely used in the defense industry for the production of gunpowder.
How gunpowder is made
The formula of smokeless gunpowder, which is mostly used in the production of weapons, is based on nitrocellulose. It can be obtained by processing pulp from industrial hemp, cotton, and wood. While hemp cellulose can be used for short-range ammunition and shells, cotton gunpowder is the best raw material for long-range artillery because it is the lightest. Cotton fiber is 95% cellulose and 5% fat and other substances. The cellulose is mixed with sulfuric and nitric acids to produce nitrocellulose. The nitrocellulose is then mixed with other substances to form gunpowder pellets. After that, they are dried and made into projectile charges for ammunition.
How much cotton is needed for gunpowder production in Ukraine
Ukraine’s demand for nitrocellulose is estimated at 10 thousand tons. To do this, it is necessary to sow 30 thousand hectares or half the area if cotton is grown on irrigated land.
To revive the crop, the Verkhovna Rada passed a bill in May 2024 that simplified the import of cotton varieties, and the government launched a pilot project to grow it in the south.
As Ihor Vishtak, director of the Agrarian Development Department of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, explained in an interview with EP, this experiment in Odesa region was needed “to understand whether cotton can grow there at all and whether it can be used for strategic industrial purposes.” The first harvest showed that cotton can grow in the Odesa region. Next, the cotton grown there is to be sent for examination to the laboratories of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Strategic Industry. The results of the examination should show whether the Ukrainian raw material is suitable for making explosives.
Ukrainian gunsmiths rely on Ukrainian cotton
Given a stable supply of raw materials, manufacturers are ready to increase ammunition production. As Serhiy Vysotsky, deputy head of the National Association of Defense Industry Enterprises of Ukraine, said in a commentary for the Single Marathon, the global gunpowder shortage limits the ability of supplier countries to meet Ukraine’s growing needs.
“The companies of our Association can double the production of ammunition of various calibers, including 122-mm and mortar rounds. However, this requires a stable supply of powder and explosives,” emphasized Sergiy Vysotsky.
Thus, for Ukraine, which is at war, setting up its own gunpowder production has become a strategic priority.
