By KYIV. May 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Over the past week, Ukrainian farmers sowed grain and leguminous crops on 952,400 hectares compared to 362,300 hectares the previous week and 278,400 hectares a week earlier, the Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Food reported on Friday.
According to its data, as of May 4, the area under spring grains and legumes reached 2,320 hectares or almost 22.7% of the 10.24 million hectares planned for 2023.
At the same time, the sowing rate is still lower than last year’s figures, when as of May 5, 3.31 million hectares were sown with these crops, including 1.25 million hectares in the same week.
In general, since the beginning of the sowing season this year, the crops of spring wheat reached 235,900 hectares (a week earlier – 206,100 hectares), spring barley – 712,100 hectares (639,000 hectares), peas – 128,600 hectares (121,200 hectares) and oats – 132,200 (112,200 hectares), corn – 1.059 million hectares (252,700 hectares), millet – 8,400 hectares (4,500 hectares), other cereals and legumes – 40,900 hectares (32,000 hectares). The sowing of rooks has also intensified, reaching 3,100 hectares (330 hectares).
As the Ministry of Agrarian Policy said, the agrarians of Kirovohrad region were the leaders in fieldwork with grains and legumes this week – 129,000 hectares.
Sunflower is sown in all regions of Ukraine. Now, it is sown on 1.485 million hectares (490,200 hectares a week earlier), while a year ago on this date 2.4 million hectares were sown.
Sugar beet sowing began in 14 regions, and the sown area reached 179,200 hectares (96,100 hectares a week earlier) versus 175,400 hectares at the beginning of May last year.
Ukrainian farmers are expanding soybean crops, including 19 regions that have sown them on 173,600 hectares (18,800 hectares a week earlier) compared to 335,500 hectares on this date a year ago.
According to the ministry’s forecast, in 2023, the sown area of grain and leguminous crops will be 10.24 million hectares, 1.4 million hectares less than in 2022. The area under the main types of oilseeds can be increased, in particular, under sunflower to 5.64 million hectares (476,000 hectares more), rapeseed to 1.37 million hectares (110,000 hectares more), soybeans to 1.84 million hectares (334,000 hectares more). At the same time, sugar beet sown areas are expected to recover to the pre-war level, to 220,000 hectares compared to 180,000 hectares in 2022 and 226,000 hectares in 2021.
