Ukraine to be self-sufficient in buckwheat in 2023 -ministry

MOSCOW. May 23 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Agrarian Policy Ministry of Ukraine predicts farmers will sow 115,400 hectares with buckwheat in 2023, only slightly more than last year but enough to meet the domestic market's needs.

"Last year, 114,600 hectares were sown in Ukraine. However, the rate at which this crop is being sown [this year] is slightly behind last year. As of mid-May, 43,260 hectares or 37% of the total had already been sown, while last year 48,000 hectares had been sown by the same date," Ukrainian media quoted the ministry as saying.

The ministry said nearly 160,000 tonnes of buckwheat were harvested in 2022. Domestic consumption is 110,000 tonnes per year.

"Ukrainians will be fully provided with this crop for domestic consumption, and the surplus will make it possible to form the transitional reserve," the ministry said.

The leaders in terms of sowing buckwheat are the Ternopol region, where 8,800 hectares have been sown, followed by the Vinnitsa and Sumy regions, with 4,400 and 5,200 hectares, respectively.