Due to a lack of rain winter grain crops in Ukraine have sprouted on only 3.3 million hectares or 55% of the area of fields planted, according to Deputy Agriculture Minister Ivan Demchak.
“Today we have sprouts of winter grain on 3.3 million hectares or 55% of the total field area. The situation is very difficult,” he said during discussions on the efficient use of grain crops from the 2009 harvest held by the parliamentary committee for agriculture policy and land relations in Kyiv on Tuesday.
Demchak said that only one million hectares of winter crops are in a good state, or 30%, and 43% of them are in a satisfactory state, while 27% of them are weak.
He said that the information is based on data from the regions as of October 8, 2009. It has rained recently and the situation has slightly changed, Demchak said.
The deputy minister said that as of October 13, 2009, farmers had sown 6.6 million hectares, or 85% of the expected volume.
“We expect that winter crops would be sown on an area 300-400 hectares smaller than a year ago,” he said.
He also said that out of 1.4 million hectares of rape, 70% sprouted, but only 27% of it is in a good state.
