Given the current situation in Ukraine, in 2022 about 13.9 million hectares of spring crops can be sown, which is 75% of the total area before the full-scale war. This was reported by UCAB (Ukrainian club of agrarian business).
The increase of 5% from the previous estimate was primarily due to the exemption from the temporary occupation of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy oblasts and some territories of other regions of Ukraine. However, it will be impossible to sow in these areas in full due to the destruction of the material base of agricultural producers, theft of agricultural machinery by the Russian occupiers, mines in the fields and roads by the occupiers, remnants of shells, mines and equipment in the fields. finances to do all the work.
In addition, the structure of crops will change. Many farmers have announced the replacement of part of the area for corn in favour of sunflower, soybeans, buckwheat and other cereals. Such changes are due to the fact that maize requires more investment per hectare than other crops, more drying costs in autumn and more storage and transportation capacity for export, which is currently severely limited by rail, road and river transport.
According to the results of the survey of UCAB member companies and assessment of crop losses in the temporarily occupied and affected regions, the modulation of changes in the area of main spring crops was modulated, according to which spring barley sowing areas this year may be 906 thousand hectares (-32% of total areas in 2021), corn areas will be reduced to 3.8 million hectares (-31%), sunflower is expected to be 4.7 million hectares (-28%), soybean areas will increase to 1.4 million hectares (+ 12%).
“Despite the increase in the area under sunflowers and barley in the territory free from the occupiers, it is impossible to fully compensate for the loss of the area of these crops in the occupied territories. Sunflower and barley have traditionally been largely grown in southern and eastern Ukraine. Also significant are the losses of areas under tomatoes, onions, eggplants, peppers, peas, mustard and melons. It is these crops that Ukrainian farmers are also paying attention to in order to increase their sown areas in the free Ukrainian lands, ”summed up Roman Slastyon, Director General of UCAB.