Photo: SuperAgronom.com
Ukraine might reduce its sown areas by approximately 20% next year if issues with exports via Black Sea ports remain unresolved. In such a scenario, grain production could decrease by around 12 million tons.
This was stated by Yevhen Osipov, CEO of Kernel, in an interview with Bloomberg.
According to him, restrictions on the operation of Black Sea ports have significantly intensified over the past two months. Export volumes have fallen to less than 10% of the levels observed at the beginning of the year.
Due to the slowdown in shipments, the wheat and corn harvest is accumulating within the country. Some of the grain will have to be stored in polymer sleeves.
“The main question is what we will do during the next sowing campaign in the spring? If there is no solution regarding exports, I believe Ukraine will reduce production and will not sow about 20% of the land. This means 12 million tons of food grain will not be produced,” Osipov noted.
The Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Taras Vysotskyi, also announced a reduction in sown areas by 5-7 million hectares due to problems with storing and exporting the already harvested crop, during a meeting with the UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine, Matias Schmale, and representatives of the FAO and the World Food Programme.
Read also: Complicated grain exports hinder Ukraine’s autumn sowing campaign
Main topic
Autumn sowing 2027
Olena Basanets, SuperAgronom.com
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