The government is asked to change the booking parameters for farmers and utility workers
6 March 2025 10:56
Members of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy at its meeting once again raised the issue of farmers’ reservation and called on the Government to define farm workers with less than 500 hectares of land under cultivation as those who are important for the national economy in the field of agriculture during a special period. This is reported on the website of the parliament, "Komersant Ukrainian" informs.
It is emphasized that failure to resolve this issue exacerbates the shortage of labor resources in rural areas on the eve of the spring sowing campaign in 2025 and jeopardizes the fulfillment of the tasks of providing food to Ukraine and its exports to world markets.
Why there are problems with booking farmers
There is a situation in which only enterprises that cultivate more than 500 hectares of land can apply through the Diia portal to obtain the status of a critical enterprise.
At the same time, according to the MPs, farms that cultivate up to 500 hectares make up the largest group of agricultural producers and are mostly family farms that, according to the law, use their own labor (founders are family members). This has led to a critical situation, as such farms apply for the status of critical enterprises to regional administrations, which currently lack uniform criteria and guidelines for reserving military personnel in the agricultural sector.
Such uncertainty in the mobilization process creates unequal conditions for farmers. Therefore, the Members of Parliament of Ukraine supported the proposals of the All-Ukrainian Congress of Farmers to develop guidelines for regional military administrations on the reservation of farm workers who have less than 500 hectares of land under cultivation.
In particular, it is proposed to take into account the following parameters for booking:
– for farmers who cultivate from 20 to 100 hectares, the head, manager or founder of the farm is subject to reservation. The income per 1 hectare must be at least the average for the region. The enterprise must be registered in Ukraine, operate for more than 1 year, and have a continuous production process, which is confirmed by tax reports.
– for farms (grain cultivation) that cultivate from 100 to 500 hectares, the head, manager or founder of the farm, as well as 50% of employees liable for military service, but not more than 1 person per 100 hectares, are subject to reservation. The average salary must be at least UAH 20 thousand per month (it may be lower for frontline areas). The income for the calendar year as of the date of application is not less than the average for the region, but not less than UAH 20 thousand per 1 hectare. The company must be registered in Ukraine, operate for more than 1 year, have a continuous production process (as evidenced by tax reports), and have at least 1 insured person for every 100 hectares.
– for producers of fruit and vegetable products (horticulture, berry growing, vegetable growing): 50% of the company’s employees liable for military service are subject to insurance without a limit of 1 person per 100 hectares.
Housing and communal services companies may also have their booking opportunities increased
The Cabinet of Ministers intends to increase to 75% the possibility of booking employees mobilized for the supply of heat, hot water, water supply and sewage, and municipal waste management services. The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, said this in response to a petition.
He said that the changes will relate to the introduction of the possibility of booking during mobilization, for the period of martial law, of military personnel of enterprises that provide services to consumers for the supply of heat energy, centralized hot water supply, centralized water supply and centralized sewage, and household waste management, in the amount of no more than 75% of the total number of military personnel of such business entities.
Providers can already book employees of their construction teams
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has adopted amendments to the procedure for booking employees of mobile operators and Internet providers who are liable for military service. The new rules stipulate that employees of telecommunications providers engaged in the construction of networks resistant to power outages using xPON technology or building energy-resistant networks on highways and national roads are subject to reservation.
This requires a decision of the Ministry of Digital Transformation to designate the enterprise as critical and the inclusion of employees in such teams by the head of the enterprise.
As you know, the Cabinet of Ministers has extended the deadline for booking employees for enterprises that have not yet confirmed their criticality until March 31. Until this date, the reservations of employees of such enterprises will remain in force. In addition to extending the deadline, the government has allowed companies that have updated their criticality status to book employees until April 1 without 72-hour data processing.
The Ministry of Economy also reminded that an application for booking employees can be submitted exclusively through the Diia portal. This means that business leaders no longer need to issue paper orders – the process is completely electronic. The Ministry also emphasized that if an employee has already been booked, the previous booking must be canceled before submitting a new application.
