Ukrainian farmers thresh over 67.3 million tonnes of grains, oilseeds - ministry

MOSCOW. Oct 18 (Interfax) - Ukrainian farmers harvesting grain and oilseed crops threshed 67.3 million tonnes of the new harvest from 17.7 million hectares as of October 18 compared to 62.2 million tonnes from 15.8 million hectares a week before.

In total, 42.8 million tonnes (40.2 million tonnes) of grains and grain legumes, 18 million tonnes (17 million tonnes a week before) of oilseeds and 6.5 million tonnes (5 million tonnes) of sugar beets have been harvested, Ukrainian media outlets reported, citing the Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry on Friday.

The wheat harvest has been completed, it brought 22.3 million tonnes from 4.9 million hectares with a yield of 42.4 centners per hectare, barley 5.5 million tonnes from 1.4 million hectares with a yield of 39.2 centners per hectare, peas 465.3 million tonnes from 212,200 hectares with a yield of 21.9 centners per hectare, and rapeseed 3.5 million tonnes from 1.3 million hectares with a yield of 27.3 centners per hectare.

Corn harvesting is ongoing, and it brought 13.2 million tonnes (10.6 tonnes a week earlier) from 2.4 million hectares (59% of the target), buckwheat 124,800 tonnes (124,300 tonnes) from 86,300 hectares (97%), millet 158,900 tonnes (156,100 tonnes) from 86,300 hectares (91%).

Harvesting of oilseeds is underway in Ukraine. In particular, 5.2 million tonnes of soybeans (4.8 million tonnes) were harvested from 2.3 million hectares, reaching 88% of the target, and sunflower 9.3 million tonnes (8.8 million tonnes) from 4.5 million hectares (91%).

Farmers in the Odessa region are leading in grain harvesting with 4.3 million hectares threshed, followed by the Poltava region with 3.8 million tonnes and the Vinnitsa region with 3 million tonnes. Farmers in the Khmelnitsky region are still leading in terms of yields with 67.7 centners per hectare, followed by the Ternopol region with 64.5 centners per hectare, Cherkassy region with 61 centners per hectare, the Ivano-Frankovsk region with 60.3 centners per hectare, and the Chernigov region with 60 centners per hectare.