Ukraine forced to start grain harvest

Ukrainian farmers have started the grain harvest in the first two regions. The harvest is earlier than last year, but some farmers have started earlier because they are afraid of what is to come.

The first two oblasts (regions) where the grain harvest has started are Odessa and Mykolaiv. Until last weekend, more than 42.000 hectares of grain from this region went through the harvesters. In total, 90.000 tons of winter barley and 2.000 tons of winter wheat were harvested, converted 2,19 and 1,78 tons per hectare, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture.

Forced harvesting
The start of the grain harvest has therefore started earlier than in previous years. However, some of the farmers would have preferred to leave the grains longer. In regions where fighting is fierce and Russian troops are advancing, farmers are concerned. The military operations pose the greatest risk to them. As soon as an explosive hits a plot, the entire plot is on fire in no time and can't be harvested. One plot after another is catching fire around the fighting areas, Ukrainian farmers report to the AP news agency. In addition, Russia is known to place mines in agricultural areas, which makes harvesting a risk. This is especially the case in the Donetsk region.

Extra grain storage
Work is currently underway on the first grain stations and silos for transport near the Ukrainian western border. In the next two months it should become clear where and how much that will be, Ukrainian agriculture minister Mykola Solsky reported in a press release on Friday, June 24. According to him, the plan is to build 6 to 8 million tons of additional capacity. This is also very much needed in the near future. If there is room for more storage, it is certainly encouraged. The existing places where transport is already being carried out will also be expanded where possible.

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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