At the plenary session on April 23, the Verkhovna Rada voted in the second reading and in general for draft law No. 10427-1 on simplifying the circulation of cotton seeds, which are needed for the production of gunpowder.
Peopleʼs deputy from the "Voice" faction, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, reported that 291 deputies supported the law.
The document stipulates that for the period of martial law and three years after it, the state registration and import of cotton varieties, including genetically modified ones, takes place according to a simplified procedure. Previously, the registration of non-modified cotton took 2-3 years, and the registration of GMO cotton was prohibited at all.
In the State Register of Plant Varieties Suitable for Cultivation in Ukraine, there are data on only three varieties of cotton. Bureaucratic obstacles, a number of regulations and a lack of support at the state level made it practically impossible to grow cotton on an industrial scale.
On April 16, the Ministry of Agricultural Policy stated that this should be corrected, because Ukraine has a strategic need to grow cotton as a raw material for import substitution, as well as for processing and domestic needs. For this purpose, it is proposed to create and develop a cotton cluster in Odesa region, the department says.
Why is this important?
Cotton pulp is used to produce gunpowder, which is then used as a component for ammunition. European arms manufacturers have already warned about dependence on Chinese cotton. This has become a threat to the expansion of production, which is needed to replenish Europeʼs own reserves and help Ukraine. Therefore, Ukrainian industry needs to build its domestic market.