By KYIV. Nov 9 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Harvesting rates in Ukraine are significantly lower than last year due to rainy weather, especially for corn, which by November 4 was harvested on 27% of the area (1.14 million hectares), while last year 61% of the area was threshed on this date (3.3 million hectares).
"Harvesting in Ukraine is slower than last year, and average moisture levels are very high due to prolonged September and October rainfall. Farmers hope that frosts will reduce corn moisture from 22-28% to acceptable 16-20%, so they plan to reschedule its harvesting for the winter or spring, especially in the event of blocking exports from the Black Sea ports, which will lead to lower prices," according to the website of the electronic grain exchange GrainTrade.
In addition, in the current season, the cost of drying grain has increased two to three times compared to last year – from UAH 60-100/tonne percent to UAH 160-250/tonne percent due to the rise in gas and diesel fuel prices.
The exchange also clarified that the farmers of Vinnytsia and Chernivtsi regions had already completed sunflower harvesting, while in Kharkiv region only 42% of sunflower crops had been threshed. Most of all soybeans – 380,000 tonnes were harvested in Khmelnytsky region, and most of all sugar beets (1.9 million tonnes) – in Vinnytsia region. The highest yield of grain and leguminous crops – 6.22 tonnes/ha was received by farmers of Khmelnytsky region.
