No critical obstacles for spring fieldwork in Ukraine, the problem is with the export of the crop

The spring fieldworks have already started in 11 out of 25 regions of Ukraine, including Kherson, Odesa, and Mykolaiv. As of March 25, some 150,000 hectares of land have been sown in the country, which is significantly more than last year.

Due to the war, this season the area with such crops as sunflower and corn will decrease. Instead, there will be an increase in the area under crops that are easier to produce, but important from the point of view of food security – peas, barley, and oats.

There are no critical obstacles for the sowing campaign, said Mykola Solskyy, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food. The problem is the export logistics through the ports blocked by Russia. Ukraine has stocks of grain worth about $7.5 billion that were intended for export but have not been exported because of this.

“Ports have been restricted. Earlier we exported 4-5 million tons of agricultural products, grain, and processed products through ports a month. Now — only a few thousand tons across the western borders. It is very important to fix this. Obviously, minus the reserves that the country needs,” said the Minister.