Wartime sowing has ended in Ukraine, – the Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy of the Verkhovna Rada.
16 June 2022, 16:36
Under martial law, Ukrainian farmers have completed the most difficult sowing campaign in the history of our country's independence.
Due to the war, only three-quarters of Ukraine's arable lands were sown. Farmers faced fuel shortages, shelling, mining, and logistics problems.
That is why the successful conduct of spring field work has become the main task for the state and Ukrainian farmers this year. Thus, within the framework of the program of preferential loans "5-7-9" to support agricultural producers for the purpose of sowing, banks issued 38.5 billion UAH. Of these – UAH 24 billion under the program of state portfolio guarantees.
According to the forecasts of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, Ukraine should fully ensure domestic consumption of all key agricultural crops at the level of 65 million tons of cereals, legumes, and oilseeds, including potential exports of about 30 million.
This year there have been changes in the priority of cultures. The cost per hectare influenced this, the possibility of a sale for domestic needs and the yield per hectare of land, and its cost per ton.
The biggest changes in the structure of crops concerned wheat, corn, sunflower, and soybeans.
Thus, this year – almost 200 thousand hectares of spring wheat were sown this year, compared to 42 thousand hectares in 2021.
First, wheat is essential for food security, and secondly, it is a less demanding crop in terms of intensity and material resources.
Soybeans are a crop that is undemanding to mineral fertilizers. Although its sown area remained at the level of the previous year - about 1,250 hectares (last year - 1,300 hectares), in this year's structure of crops, its volumes have increased, as in general, the sown area has decreased.
The sowing area for sunflowers decreased compared to last year, but insignificantly and maintained a high figure of 4 million 700 thousand hectares.
There has been a reduction in maize crops: this year, 4 million 600 thousand compared to 5 million 500 thousand hectares last year, which is primarily since corn gives a higher yield and more complex in logistics.
During the war, farmers found themselves in challenging conditions. At the same time, Ukrainians, defending the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine, continue to establish guarantees of food security in our country and around the world. And now, the main issues are harvesting, storage, and further implementation in the context of russia's military aggression, the Committee emphasizes.