Ukraine may sow less winter wheat due to too dry weather – minister

Ukraine is likely to sow less winter wheat than it initially expected for the 2024 harvest due to the prolonged absence of rain across most regions, Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky said on Thursday.

Ukraine is a traditional grower of winter wheat which accounts for around 95% of overall wheat output.

“Dry sunny weather, if we are talking about winter crops, is not a plus, but a deterrent to the sowing season,” Solsky said in televised comments.

“We will sow less winter wheat than last year. But this is not a critical story. This is what happens when the autumn is dry,” he said.

Solsky said there had been similar weather conditions in the 2022/23 season.

He gave no exact figure for the acreage that could be sown this year. The ministry has previously forecast a sowing area of 4.4 million hectares.

Ukrainian farmers often sow into dry soil in the hope that a wet and mild autumn and winter weather will allow the seeds to sprout.

“There is very little rain, which will affect the volume and results. This can still be corrected. After all, it is only the beginning of the year,” Solsky said.

The agriculture ministry said this week that farmers had sown almost 3 million hectares of winter crops as of Oct. 3 and that the area included 1.7 million hectares of winter wheat, or 40% of the expected area.

Ukrainian weather forecasters have said the prolonged absence of rain in most Ukrainian regions has created unfavourable conditions for sowing and the development of winter crops.

Ukraine is expected to harvest 79 million tons of grain and oilseed in 2023, with 2023/24 exportable surplus totals of about 50 million tons.