In the south of the Odessa region, in the steppes of Bessarabia, the atypical plant - cotton - blooms for Ukraine. Along with grenades, figs and vineyards, this culture is increasingly appearing in experimental fields. It has not only agrarian but also strategic importance: from cotton produce nitrocellulose, the main component of gunpowder, without which it is impossible to wage modern war.
Although most Ukrainians associate cotton primarily with tissues, its fibers are used in medicine, chemical industry, paper production and, importantly, in the defense sector. During the war with Russia, this is especially relevant: Ukraine produces up to 7 thousand shells daily, each of which requires more than 12 kg of gunpowder. While the global raw material market is experiencing a deficit, cotton -growing countries - including the USA, China, India - have an advantage. Ukrainian farmers decided not to stand aside and launched a test of culture in the south of Ukraine. According to Alla Stoyanov, a public figure and a promotion of the initiative, the cotton has already been grown in Ukraine in the past, but stopped because of its complexity. Now - due to climate change and new challenges - this plant becomes relevant again. Currently, experimental fields have been created in Bessarabia, where experts test culture, evaluate its yield and quality of raw materials. The first results are encouraging: in 2024 it was possible to collect 2.5 tons of cotton per hectare, which is only a little inferior to the world leaders. The cotton harvest is not just harvested - its fibers are transferred for examination to the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Strategic Industry. They evaluate whether raw materials are suitable for the production of nitrocellulose is a key component of high quality gunpowder. According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, in Ukraine it is possible to sow up to 10 thousand hectares of cotton - which is already a level sufficient for national production of raw materials for ammunition. So far, the harvest is carried out manually, which slows down the process, but with the development of processing technologies, state support and investment in special equipment, cotton can become a Ukrainian agro -industrial weapon in the war for independence.
Growing cotton in war is not only an economic initiative, but also part of the strategic security of the state, which allows to gradually reduce the dependence on the import of raw materials for ammunition.
