As of April 11, Ukraine planted 1.26 million hectares with spring grains and pulses, up 72.2% year-on-year, the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food reported on Friday.
According to the report, 173.9 thousand hectares were planted with wheat (118.3 thousand hectares a week earlier), 683.4 thousand hectares with barley (543.2 thousand hectares), 147.7 thousand hectares with peas (119.0 thousand hectares), and 117 thousand hectares with oats (62.4 thousand hectares).
Over the past week, Ukrainian farmers sowed grains and legumes on the area of 408.6 thou hectares, a week earlier the figure was 375.4 thou hectares, and 262.2 thou hectares – a week earlier.
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, Kyiv region is the leader in terms of sowing rates, having planted 23 thou hectares of wheat, 39.3 thou hectares of barley, 4.7 thou hectares of peas and 3.6 thou hectares of oats; Ternopil region – 18.9 thou. hectares of wheat, 63.6 thousand hectares of barley, 3.6 thousand hectares of peas and 5.1 thousand hectares of oats; Khmelnytsky – 14.5 thousand hectares of wheat, 63.6 thousand hectares of barley, 3.6 thousand hectares of peas and 5.1 thousand hectares of oats; Khmelnytsky – 14.5 thousand hectares of wheat. Khmelnytsky – 14.8 thousand hectares of wheat, 59.1 thousand hectares of barley, 2.6 thousand hectares of peas and 2.5 thousand hectares of oats; Zhytomyr – 13.7 thousand hectares of wheat, 15.9 thousand hectares of barley, 2.6 thousand hectares of peas and 2.5 thousand hectares of oats; Zhytomyr – 13.7 thousand hectares of wheat, 15.9 thousand hectares of barley, 2.6 thousand hectares of peas and 2.5 thousand hectares of oats. Zhytomyr region – 13.7 thou hectares of wheat, 15.9 thou hectares of barley, 2.6 thou hectares of peas and 17.9 thou hectares of oats; Vinnytsia region – 11.5 thou hectares of wheat, 52.3 thou hectares of barley, 6 thou hectares of peas and 1.1 thou hectares of oats.
Farmers in Poltava region have completed sowing early grains and pulses. They have planted 6.5 thou hectares of wheat, 73 thou hectares of barley, 8.5 thou hectares of peas and 2.3 thou hectares of oats.
Sunflower was sown on 470.1 thou hectares. Soybeans are being sown in 9 regions. Farmers in 15 regions have started sowing corn, which has already been planted on 120 thousand hectares.
Sugar beet was sown on 157.6 thou hectares. The largest area under this crop is in Vinnytsia region – 42 thou hectares.
Farmers in Mykolaiv, Odesa, Khmelnytsky and Kherson regions have started sowing buckwheat and millet.
The Ministry of Agrarian Policy reported that 70% of respondents plan to increase soybean acreage by an average of 21% compared to 2023, according to a survey conducted by the State Agrarian Register on farmers’ preparations for the spring crops sowing campaign for the 2024 harvest.
The survey also showed that during the spring sowing campaign, Ukrainian farmers will prioritize pulses, which will increase by 11%, and spring barley – by 7%. The area under spring rapeseed is expected to increase by 24%, sugar beet by 17%, and corn by 9%. The area under sunflower may potentially decrease.
In general, in 2024, the area under spring crops may decrease by 0.5 million hectares or 3.7% compared to last season, according to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy.
The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food has announced the completion of the sowing campaign, with the forecast for spring grains and pulses exceeded by 4% to 5.672 million hectares.
According to the Ministry’s website, this is 8.5% less than last year and 25.1% less than in pre-war 2021.
Sunflower and soybean plantings amounted to 5.307 mln ha and 1.779 mln ha, respectively, down 5.9% and 3.3% from the March forecast. At the same time, they exceeded last year’s figures, in particular, by 12.9% for sunflower and 46.8% for soybeans.
It is specified that in 2023, the agrarians exceeded the forecasted plantings of peas and corn by 16% and 12%, respectively, having allocated 139.3 thou hectares and 4.043 mln ha for them. The amount of peas planted was 6.3% higher compared to last year, while corn was 12.8% lower.
This year’s buckwheat planting plan was exceeded by 5% to 120.7 thou hectares, and the growth was 60.3% compared to the previous year.
The area under oats is also 2% higher than expected – 150.1 thou hectares, but 5.8% lower than last year.
Farmers slightly missed the forecasts for spring wheat, for which 280 thou hectares were allocated (98% of the plan). However, the area under it is 46.5% higher than in 2022 and 59.1% higher than in pre-war 2021, as winter wheat was sown much less.
The forecast for the current year for spring barley sowing was also not fulfilled, with farmers planting 821.9 thou hectares (79% of the plan), which is 13.6% lower than last year. The situation is the same with millet, under which 51.1 thou hectares were planted, which was 85% of the plan, but it is 3.2% higher than last year.
As reported, this season winter wheat plantings amounted to 4166 thou hectares (-834 thou hectares compared to the previous season), winter barley – 536 thou hectares (-255 thou hectares), and rapeseed – 1374 thou hectares (+110 thou hectares).
At the end of March, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy predicted that in 2023 the planted areas of grains and pulses will amount to 10.24 mln ha, down 1.4 mln ha from 2022, while the area under oilseeds will increase by 0.92 mln ha to 8.85 mln ha.
Ukraine as of May 21 had sowed spring grains and legumes on 6.9 million hectares, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food has said.
According to the report, this figure is 93% of the forecasted areas.
Early spring grain crops were sown on 2.3 million hectares (96%), in particular wheat on 166,000 hectares (95%), barley on 1.5 million hectares (96%), oats on 189,000 hectares (92%), and peas on 416,000 hectares (99%).
Corn for grain was sowed on 4.4 million hectares (95%), buckwheat on 69,000 hectares (46%), and millet on 32,000 hectares (57%).
In addition, the sowing of industrial crops continues. Currently 280,000 hectares have been sown with sugar beets (94% to the forecast), 5.4 million hectares (98%) with sunflower, and 1.6 million hectares (81%) with soybeans.
