Less maize and sunflowers are growing in Ukraine

Now that Ukrainian farmers are almost done with the sowing campaign, it is time to take stock. It is clear that less has been sown and that the acreage of sunflowers and maize has dropped significantly. May grain exports, on the other hand, passed the 1 million tons mark.

According to the latest figures from the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture, 22% less area will be sown and planted this spring compared to 2021. The area decreased to about 14 million hectares in 2022 due to the Russian invasion.

Significantly less corn and sunflowers
Official figures released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture show that the acreage of maize and sunflowers is significantly declining. The acreage of sunflowers decreased from 6,1 million hectares to 4,2 million hectares, a decrease of no less than 30%. For sunflowers it had been known for some time that the acreage would be lower. The main reason for this is that much of the fighting is concentrated in the main regions of sunflower cultivation. Other crops are also all seeing a decrease in hectares. Summer barley this year amounts to 930.000 hectares and soybeans are also declining very slightly to 1,2 million hectares.

With regard to maize, there are several reasons why the Ukrainian farmer prefers to sow another crop in the ground. One of the main reasons is the stalled corn exports that have discouraged some farmers from growing the crop. According to figures from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 78% of the total corn yield was exported two seasons ago.

Some of the maize growers have also switched to growing soybeans. Soybeans are currently more profitable given the price and the availability of fertilizers. In addition, soybeans are exported by rail. That is why the acreage of soybeans has hardly decreased - but also not increased, as was previously expected.

1 million tons of export
Despite the blockade in the Black Sea region by Russia - which may also be opened by Putin - Ukraine managed to export more than 1 million tons of grain in the period from 1 to 30 May. In 2021 this was 2,8 million tons in the same period. In total, the export amounted to 1,063 million tons, of which maize with approximately 1 million tons mainly fills the total export. This is followed by wheat with 42.000 tons.

Jesse Torringa

Jesse is an editor at Boerenbusiness and focuses in particular on the arable farming sector, including grain and onions. He also closely follows the fertilizer market. In addition, Jesse works on an arable farm in Groningen with seed potatoes as the main branch.

j.torringa@boerenbusiness. Nl

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