KYIV. June 30 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The gross grain, legume and cereal crops harvest in Ukraine in 2015 could total 59.5-60 million tonnes, head of the agrometeorological department at the center, Tetiana Adamenko, has said.
“According to the preliminary forecast of grain, legume and cereal crops harvest, taking into account official data on sowed fields, Ukraine could receive 59.5-60 million tonnes,” she said at a briefing in Kyiv on June 26, adding that over half of the harvest will comprise of corn – around 26 million tonnes.
The expert said that corn fields in Ukraine are in a good state, and the average yield is predicted at the level of the previous year – 6 tonnes per hectare. The best yield – around 8 tonnes per hectare will be reaped in western regions (Vinnytsia, Volyn, Khmelnytsky and Lviv region) and in northern regions (Zhytomyr and Chernihiv regions) it will be lower – 7-7.5 tonnes per hectare.
Rains which will occur in Ukraine this week would have favorable effect on corn and other late crops – soybeans and sunflower, Adamenko said. However the rain could delay the ripening and harvesting of early grain crops.
The winter wheat harvest could total 24.5 million tonnes (with an average yield of 3.7 tonnes per hectare in 2014), winter barley – 3 million tonnes, spring barley – 4.2 million tonnes, winter rye – 300,000 tonnes, oats – 500,000 tonnes and buckwheat – 100,000 tonnes.
