Purpose. Justification of the new direction of using molybdenum ores from weathering rind of deposits of Ukraine. Research methodology. The research was carried out by general scientific and special research methods – theoretical (analysis, explanation, generalization, comparison), technical and economic evaluation. Research results. The conducted research made it possible to determine the main global approaches to the extraction and application of molybdenum in various areas of industry. The importance of the domestic industry's need for molybdenum-containing fertilizers is substantiated. The reasons why modern global methods for obtaining molybdenum-containing fertilizers are difficult have been revealed. It has been found that modern extraction of molybdenum occurs from native ores, and attempts to extract molybdenum from weathered ores are considered ineffective. The conducted studies indicate significant areas of weathering rinds in Ukraine, including on molybdenum ore occurrences. It is possible to use such weathering rinds as fertilizers directly, that is, bypassing the traditional production of concentrates. The reduction of molybdenum deficiency in Ukrainian arable soils can be achieved by using the weathering crust of molybdenum ore occurrences by soil exchange between enriched soils of ore deposit locations and depleted soils of seeded fields. The originality. For the first time, the regularity of correspondence between the mining term "significantly weathered molybdenum-containing ore" and the agricultural term "molybdenum-contaminated soil" was established. Significant volumes of such ore (soil) in Ukraine were confirmed, and the presence of signs of a promising molybdenum resource in it was also investigated. Practical value. The obtained data make it possible to partially solve the needs of Ukraine in molybdenum, which is currently not mined. The results of the research made it possible to substantiate the direction of the application of molybdenum weathering crust for the domestic agricultural industry, which increases the yield, quality of agricultural products, cultivated areas, income to the foreign currency budget due to the increase in the export of agricultural products, customs duties and taxes.