Ukraine sows summer grains, legumes on 68,300 hectares for 2024 harvest - ministry
MOSCOW. March 12 (Interfax) - Ukraine sowed 68,300 hectares in 12 regions with summer grain and leguminous crops as of March 7, Ukrainian media have reported with reference to the Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry.
The largest areas, 38,900 hectares, have been allotted to barley, while peas have been sown on 23,300 hectares, wheat on 4,300 hectares, and oats on 1,500 hectares, it said.
Farmers in the Odessa region are leading in terms of the size of farmlands they have sown with crops, 33,000 hectares, of which 500 hectares have been allotted to wheat, 17,500 hectares to barley, 14,300 hectares to peas, and 700 hectares to oats.
Farmers in the Nikolayev region have sown wheat on 700 hectares, barley on 11,500 hectares, peas on 6,000 hectares, and oats on 200 hectares.
Those in the Ternopol region have sown wheat on 800 hectares, barley on 4,300 hectares, and peas on 700 hectares.
In the Khmelnitsky region, 2,200 hectares have been sown with barley and 300 hectares with oats.
Farmers in the Vinnitsa region have sown 1,800 hectares of farmland with wheat, 400 hectares with barley, and 1,200 hectares with peas.
A poll that the Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry conducted among farming businesses on the state agrarian register regarding their plans for sowing summer crops for the 2024 harvest found that 70% of the respondents planned to increase lands sowed with soybeans on average by 21% compared to 2023.
The poll also showed that Ukrainian farmers would give priority to legumes and summer barley during the spring sowing campaign, increasing areas under those crops by 11% and 7% respectively.
They also intend to increase areas under summer rapeseed by 24% and under sugar beets by 17%, while reducing areas sown with corn by 9%. Areas under sunflower could also be potentially reduced.
In general, areas under summer crops in Ukraine in 2024 might shrink by 0.5 million hectares, or by 3.7%, compared to the past season, the ministry said.