With Russian troops withdrawing from the north, Ukrainian farmers are seizing their chance to take to the fields. Logistics is a major problem and the agricultural work is certainly not without danger. Nevertheless, a large part of the total acreage in Ukraine seems to be sown.
In the liberated areas of Ukraine, especially in the regions around Kiev, Chernihiv and Sumy, which represent a large part of the total arable land in Ukraine, farmers do everything they can to cultivate their plots and sow them in a timely manner. Only in the eastern Luhansk region is it not possible to sow, reports the Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmihal. This area is still occupied by Russian troops.
Logistically a drama
The havoc caused by the Russian invasion is enormous and in many places there is still a scarcity of fuel, for example. If there is, they will encounter problems with transport. Bridges and other access roads have been completely destroyed, making transport difficult in many areas. This is especially the case in the areas north of Kiev. Explosives and their remains can also still be found on plots in some areas. Farmers clean up the remains together with the army.
Even near the front line, about 30 kilometers away, farmers have started field work. In the Zaporizhia region, located in the southeast of the Donetsk region, farmers are busy with sowing and field work. They work on this with bulletproof vests that they have received from the Ukrainian army.
Support agricultural sector
Although fertilizer, fuel and other supplies are scarce, financing them is also a difficult task. Smaller companies in particular are having a hard time. The Ukrainian government would like to support all farmers, no matter how difficult that may be. For example, according to Sjmihal, 3,5 billion grivnya (approximately €110 million) in loans were granted to the agricultural sector this week. In addition, it has been decided to simplify the registration of agricultural machinery as much as possible. The Ukrainian government wants to ensure that the sowing campaign is over as quickly as possible.
According to Taras Vysotskiy, the Minister of Agriculture and Food, even in the most pessimistic scenario, 70% of the total area can be sown in 2022. According to him, this could rise to 80% if the mines in the northern regions are cleared in time.
Storage spaces are full
Another problem for farmers is that last season's harvest is still in storage, so there may be no room for the new harvest. Farmers held on to their product until before the war because they looked at the benefits of the rising market. Until before the war, the export of grain, corn, sunflower oil and other products went almost exclusively through the Black Sea ports such as Mariupol and Odessa. Ships can no longer reach both ports. The port city of Mariupol has been under heavy fire for weeks.
Export via rail is currently hardly possible, because it is far underdeveloped. Moreover, in Ukraine they use a track gauge that is 9 centimeters wider than here in Europe. Ukraine is currently building new infrastructure along the Polish border to export agricultural products to the rest of Europe through new railways. However, it is not expected that the export volume will reach 150.000 tons of grain per month until September. Ultimately, that is only a fraction of the total grain production in Ukraine. For comparison: in 2020, the total export of wheat alone was more than 18 million tons. Total corn exports in 2020 were more than 28 million tons.