April 3, 2012

Ukraine sows 23% early spring grains

Ukraine has planted early spring grains and leguminous crops throughout the areas of 920,000 ha, or 23% of the estimate as of March 30, reported the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food.

According to the announcement, on the same date last year, agrarians sowed early grains throughout 0.64 million ha.

In particular, spring barley areas covered 0.62 million ha (21% of the forecast), wheat - 93,000 ha (32% of the forecast).

Agricultural enterprises sowed spring crops instead of perished winter crops areas throughout 105,000 ha of the nearly 2.5 million ha requiring resowing works.

The Ministry of Agrarian Policy also reported that agrarians started sowing sugar beet and sunflower seed.

In the current year the sowing areas of early spring grains and leguminous crops in Ukraine are forecasted at the level of 3.92 million ha, including spring wheat - 288,000 ha, spring barley - three million ha. The ministry also forecasts the following sowing areas of sugar-beet and sunflower: 594,000 ha and 4.05 million ha, respectively.

In the current year, the general grain sowing areas (including winter and spring crops) will total 15.8 million ha, almost the same level as in 2011.