Local authorities are seizing land from villagers, leaving them afraid to report corruption.

The situation with corruption in land issues within Ukraine's agribusiness has not significantly changed in 2024 – approximately 16% of entrepreneurs continue to encounter corruption. This figure remains at the same level as last year.

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This may disappoint those who hoped for a swift eradication of corruption, but there is a positive sign – the decline observed last year was not coincidental and is linked to reforms and digitalization in the land sector.

According to the results of the study "Manifestations of Corruption Among Agribusiness Enterprises in 2024," it is reported.

Particularly encouraging is the reduction in corruption levels in crop production. Two years ago, 26% of farmers reported issues with corrupt schemes when registering or purchasing land, but in 2024, this figure has dropped to 15%. Over two years, this represents a decline of more than 10% – a commendable result.

However, not everything is going smoothly. The meat and dairy sector is facing tougher challenges: the level of corruption has actually increased – from 19% to 25%. One in four farmers in this area encounters problems when dealing with land issues.

The western regions of Ukraine (Volyn, Lviv, Transcarpathian, Rivne, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi) have become particularly corrupt concerning land issues. Here, 22% of farmers face corruption, which is 4% more than last year.

The primary "perpetrators" of corruption are considered to be local authorities. The most common schemes relate to the leasing of state and communal lands (38%) and the privatization of plots (35%).

Despite this, only 16% of surveyed farmers have personally encountered corruption, and only 9% of them have chosen to report it. The main reason for their silence is a lack of trust in the authorities. 43% of farmers simply do not believe that anything will be done about it.