Sunflower and corn sowing rates in Ukraine are lower than last year's
According to the latest data from the Ministry of Economy, as of May 11, 3.784 million hectares or 63% of the planned area (6.003 million hectares) were sown with spring grain and legume crops in Ukraine, while last year, as of May 8, 4.323 million hectares or 76% of the planned area (5.681 million hectares) were sown with spring crops.
In terms of crops, on the specified date the following were sown:
- wheat – 179.1 thousand hectares or 96% of the forecast,
- barley – 704.2 thousand hectares (93%),
- peas – 256.2 thousand hectares (93%),
- oats – 136.5 thousand hectares (99%),
- corn – 2.402 million hectares (54%),
- buckwheat – 7.58 thousand hectares (13%),
- millet – 11.1 thousand hectares (28%),
- sunflower – 2.6 million hectares (52%),
- soybeans – 0.9 million hectares (43),
- sugar beets - 187.2 thousand hectares (95%).
For comparison, in the two previous years, 89% of the planned area was sown with corn at this time, 82% with sunflower, and 77% with soybeans.
The good weather of the last week has allowed for the acceleration of sowing, but its pace is still lower than last year.
Rising temperatures make it possible to start sowing heat-loving spring crops, but lead to rapid drying of the topsoil, which, against the background of uneven distribution of soil moisture, forces farmers to speed up work.
