Ukrainian agricultural producers are actively completing the spring planting campaign, despite the challenges posed by the state of war in the country. According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, this year 5.6 million hectares of spring grains and legumes have been sown, which matches last year’s level.
This is reported by Business • Media
“Farmers are completing the fourth spring planting during the full-scale war. 5.6 million hectares of spring grains and legumes have been sown. We have reached last year’s level.”
Demand for Sunflower and Soybeans is Growing
This season, special attention has been given to the planting of spring wheat, which has reached nearly 220,000 hectares. This trend is explained by the growing demand among processing enterprises and exporters. In total, technical crops have been sown on 7.7 million hectares, with 4.9 million hectares allocated for sunflowers and 2.3 million hectares for soybeans. According to Shmyhal, the volumes of sowing meet both domestic needs and Ukraine’s export opportunities.
Challenges for the Rapeseed Market and Processing Opportunities
However, analysts note that despite favorable weather in May, this year’s rapeseed yield may be the lowest in the last four years due to a number of factors. Such a forecast presents additional challenges for the industry.
Agricultural Policy Minister Vitaliy Koval reported that there are currently no plans to impose restrictions on the export of oilseeds to support domestic processing. At the same time, he acknowledged that there is a shortage of raw materials for processing enterprises, even with the country’s capacity to process up to 22 million tons of sunflower, rapeseed, and soybeans per year.