15-15.4 m ha may be sowed with grain crops in Ukraine for 2009 harvest, according to tentative data

14:31

From fifteen to 15.4 million hectares may be sowed with grain crops in Ukraine for the 2009 harvest, according to the country's deputy agriculture minister, Serhiy Melnyk.

"According to tentative data, grain crops will be sowed on 15-15.4 million of hectares in 2009," he told the press on Tuesday.

Melnyk said that the regions plan to sow over 7 million hectares with spring grain crops, including almost 2 million hectares with corn and around 5 million hectares with barley.

He said that these are preliminary data, which will be altered depending on the availability of funds for farmers, and weather conditions.

He said that farmers have prepared around 13 million hectares to sow spring crops in 2009. In addition, Melnyk said that Ukraine this year sowed over 8 million hectares with winter crops, despite the fact that some experts forecasted a fall in sowed fields due to the financial crisis and low prices of agricultural products.

He also said that farmers plan in 2009 to retain the area of fields sown with sugar beet at the level of 2008 – around 380,000 hectares.

He said that farms would cut the area of fields with sunflower by around 700,000 hectares.

Melnyk said that the ministry recommends farmers maintain an optimal structure of sowed fields.

09.12.2008