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Ukraine is planning to harvest 70 million tonnes of grains and oilseeds this agricultural season. Although this is less than last year’s harvest, it is not critical for the country’s food security. So far, approximately 22 million tonnes of wheat have already been harvested.
This was reported by Denys Marchuk, deputy chairman of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council, during an interview with Hromadske Radio.
According to Marchuk, Ukrainian farmers have already harvested 45 million tonnes of grains and oilseeds. However, this year’s overall yield will be lower than last year. This is due to a drought during the flowering period, leading to losses in corn, soybeans, and sunflowers. These losses will likely impact exports.
«This does not threaten Ukraine’s food security in any way. For example, we have harvested about 22 million tonnes of wheat. These are similar figures to last season, while the domestic consumption rate is around 6 million tonnes per year. So, as you can see, we will have enough wheat for domestic needs and can focus more on export markets. This is crucial as foreign exchange earnings are needed during the war to support the armed forces», — Marchuk explained.
Overall, Ukraine plans to harvest 70 million tonnes of grains and oilseeds this year, compared to 82 million tonnes last year. While commodity producers are expected to face financial losses, especially those who hoped to offset wheat losses with sunflower and soybean sales, Marchuk noted that it is wheat that will provide profits for farmers this year.
The deputy chairman also emphasized that there were no interruptions in this agricultural season. After the spring crops were harvested, farmers quickly moved on to harvesting late crops and have now begun sowing winter crops. However, 70% of the land being sown is currently in dry conditions.
«So far, about 2 million hectares have been sown. As for wheat, we estimate that we need to sow between 4.5 to 5 million hectares. Wheat cultivation is increasing, mainly because spring crops suffered from adverse weather conditions, prompting many to switch to more drought-resistant crops, like winter wheat», — Marchuk added.
Earlier, Denys Marchuk stated on Hromadske Radio that there would be losses in the late grain harvest. For instance, Ukraine may lose around 8 to 10 million tonnes of corn, compared to over 33 million tonnes harvested last season.
The expert also mentioned that Ukraine is expected to export about 16 million tonnes of grains and oilseeds this marketing year.