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Ukraine’s corn production could fall to 22-23 million tonnes this year from 41.9 million in 2021 because of a reduced harvest area caused by Russia’s invasion, its agriculture minister said on Wednesday.
Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, and swathes of land in the country’s east, south, and north were occupied or damaged by hostilities.
“It would be good if we harvest 22 to 23 million tonnes,” Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky, whose country is a major global exporter of corn, told Reuters in an interview.
- The ministry, in September, forecast the 2022 corn crop at 25 million to 27 million tonnes.
Solsky said farmers, facing a lack of fuel and funds, had left a lot of corn in their fields, and these areas could be harvested by spring.
“It means less volume and worse grain quality,” he said.
Ukraine has already completed the 2022 wheat and barley harvest, threshing 19.4 million and 5.6 million tonnes, respectively.
- Farmers had also harvested 18.4 million tonnes of corn from 70% of the expected area with a yield of 6.27 tonnes per hectare as of Dec. 15, according to agriculture ministry data.
- The overall grain harvest totaled almost 45 million tonnes as of Dec. 15. The ministry, which has forecast a total harvest of 51 million tonnes, has said 49.2 million tonnes could potentially be exported, depending on the logistical situation.
- The exports could include 16.3 million tonnes of wheat, it said.
Ukraine’s exports have fallen significantly so far this season due to the war and Russian blockades of Ukrainian seaports.
Three leading Ukrainian Black Sea ports were unblocked at the
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