Ukraine expects good winter crop harvest

The 2022 winter crop harvest will be fruitful, according to experts cited by Agronews, a website specialized in agricultural news in Ukraine.

The forecast is based on the weather Ukraine has seen so far, as well as on the results of the tests run by agronomists.

The cold winter might help produce yet another good harvest for the country after this year’s record-breaking numbers.

Ukraine harvested 106 million tons of cereals, legumes, and oilseeds in 2021 thanks to favorable weather conditions. It was the biggest harvest the country’s ever had since its independence in 1991.

The record harvest included more than 84 million tons of cereals and legumes, as well as 22.6 million tons of oilseeds. The harvest exceeded the ministry’s preliminary forecast, estimated at 100 million tons for the year.

With 42 million hectares of farmland covering 70% of the country and about 25% of the world’s reserves of black soil, agriculture is Ukraine’s largest export industry.

Ukraine’s agribusiness sector remains the most promising sector of the economy.

Ukraine exported 17% more agricultural products between January and September 2021 than in the same period of 2020.

In other agriculture news:

• The cost of buckwheat is gradually increasing, having grown by Hr 10 ($ 0.36 per kilo) over the past year. A pack of buckwheat now costs Hr 60 ($2.15) on average -- it's the highest-ever price on record, according to AgroNews. On Jan. 12, the Cabinet of Ministers announced it would manually regulate prices for a number of essential food items, including buckwheat, amid high inflation.
• 2021 was the worst year for Ukraine’s dairy industry in the last six years. Milk producers earned 14% less in 2021 than in 2020, according to experts.
• The Economy Ministry raised the price of fuel by Hr 1 per liter starting Jan. 15, which means the prices of gasoline and diesel fuel, which is used in agricultural machinery, now reach up to Hr 30-31 ($1.2) per liter at Ukrainian gas stations.