Earlier, in your previous discussions with Her Excellency the ambassador, you noted the issue of mine action in this country. Canada has had a specific interest in that area of work in the past, as it does currently. As I noted, a significant region of this country, from northeast to southeast, which is the wheat-growing breadbasket of the nation, and many other areas—the vegetable basket of the nation—are desperately affected by unexploded ordnance and mines, etc. This is a country where it is stated that 174,000 square kilometres of land are affected by mines and UXO, or unexploded ordnance, of which 25,000 square kilometres are potential agricultural land.
There is a need for every actor in the world with a mine action component or speciality to come together to support rural producing households, which are, by the way, the mainstay of vegetable and fruit production in this country, with 85% of vegetables and 83% of fruits and berries grown on small allotments. Babushkas sell their wares at the end of their road. It's incredibly important for domestic food security. The massive wheat belt in this country produced in excess of five billion dollars' worth of wheat alone before the invasion in 2022.
These are the regions we need to focus on. We need to focus on non-technical survey. We need to focus on the cancellation of land following the perception of contamination. We need to help farmers get back to farming in those areas, particularly in areas that have been, as it were, liberated. If there is no reason for people to stay because they can't make a living or have a livelihood, why do people fight to have them liberated?
That's a key area for Canada to support.