Ukraine completes winter sowing, could harvest 18-20 mln tonnes of wheat

MOSCOW. Nov 20 (Interfax) - Ukraine has sown enough winter wheat to grow 2.5-3 times more than the country itself needs, so there will be no threats to Ukraine's food security in 2024, Ukrainian media quoted First Deputy Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Taras Vysotsky as saying.

"The sowing campaign for winter crops has almost been completed. It consists of two main components. We earlier finished sowing rapeseed, and now we have finished sowing winter grains. The largest areas are under wheat and winter barley," Vysotsky in a video posted on the ministry's Telegram channel.

Wheat has been sown on more than 4 million hectares, which is similar to last year's amount, he said. It is possible on average to harvest 18 million-20 million tonnes from such areas. Domestic wheat consumption in Ukraine is 6.5 million tonnes a year.

As reported, winter crops for harvest in 2024 crops had been sown on nearly 5.7 million hectares in Ukraine by November 14, which is 0.3 million hectares or 5.6% more than the area sown by this date in 2022.