October 29, 2012

Ukraine harvests 93% of total grain acreage

Ukraine has threshed 41 million tonnes of grain from 13.7 million hectares, or 93% of the area to be harvested in the country as of October 26, 2012.

According to the press service of the Ukrainian Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry, the average yield of grain crops in the country was 29.9 centners (a metric centner equals 100 kilogrammes or 220.46 pounds) per hectare, while on the same date last year it was 34.8 centners per hectare (c/ha).

In addition, farmers threshed 14.6 million tonnes of corn from 3.4 million hectares, or 77% of the target. The average yield of that crop was 43.1 c/ha, whereas on the same date last year it was 57.5 c/ha.

As of October 26, farmers had threshed 162,000 tonnes of rice from 25,000 hectares (96% of the area). The average yield of the crop is 65.8 c/ha.

Farmers also harvested 7.8 million tonnes of sunflower seeds from 4.8 million hectares (99% of the area), with the average yield being 16.3 c/ha (18.6 centners in 2011), and 2.1 million tonnes of soy from 1.3 million hectares (88% of the area), with its average yield being 16.3 c/ha, compared to 20.1 c/ha last year.