Farmers in Odesa region grow Ukrainian cotton variety Unbreakable from seeds brought out of occupied Kherson
Plant breeder Vira Borovyk of the Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture managed to bring out a small quantity of cotton seeds during the occupation of Kherson. Researchers used these seeds to resume breeding work and develop the Ukrainian variety "Unbreakable." They have now planted the first commercial plot of the variety in the Odesa region.
According to Borovyk, the Ukrainian variety has a feature that sets it apart from other cotton varieties: its bolls ripen simultaneously. This makes harvesting much easier.
According to Borovyk, each "Unbreakable" plant produces up to ten fully developed bolls. This exceeds the yields of widely grown foreign varieties.
Agricultural expert Alla Stoianova explained that two main factors prompted the decision to develop cotton farming in the Odesa region:
"The South has another enemy besides our aggressor. It is the climate, which is constantly changing and becoming drier, so we are looking for alternative crops with high profit margins," Stoianova stressed.
According to the expert, raw materials for cotton production remain in short supply on the global market. Farmers, therefore, see growing this crop as an alternative way to develop their businesses.
Farmers use drip irrigation to grow cotton on the plot. They are currently carrying out the final watering before harvesting begins.
Photo source: Suspilne Odesa
Farmers plan to harvest the cotton by hand, as they currently have no specialized machinery for the task. After harvesting, they will process the bolls through gins — special machines that separate the seeds from the fiber.
The resulting fiber will serve different purposes depending on its length:
Processors will handle the cotton seeds separately. They will use them to produce oil. The byproduct of seed processing can also serve as animal feed.
"Livestock find the feed very palatable, especially cattle. The only restriction is that pigs must not receive too much of it because it contains a substance that is very harmful to them," Borovyk added.
Meanwhile, Alla Stoianova said the farm plans to scale up cotton cultivation to an industrial level. But, she said, this will happen only if it proves economically viable.
Rubryka previously reported plans to begin growing cotton in the Odesa region in 2024. Farmers in the Odesa region planted fields with five experimental cotton varieties.
In 2025, two producers from Odesa and Mykolaiv regions received compensation under the program. The support covered a total of five hectares of cotton crops, with payments totaling 50,000 hryvnias. Cotton producers also received financial support in 2026. As previously noted, the program aims to develop a new raw material base and help the agricultural sector adapt to climate change.
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23 of October 2026
