You're reading: Statistics service: Areas under spring crops as of May 3 by 21.5% larger year-over-year

Ukraine as of May 3, 2012 had sowed spring crops on 10.8 million hectares, which was 21.5% up on the same date last year, the State Statistics Service reported on May 14.

At the same time, grain and leguminous coups were sown on 2.9 million hectares, which was 8.1% down year-over-year, the service said. In particular, barley crops alone were sown on 2.1 million hectares, a 7.6% decline.

Areas under sugar beets also shrank year-over-year – by 12.2%, to 434,000 hectares.

However, this year farmers have sowed maize on an area 1.5 times (or almost 1.9 million hectares) larger, and areas under sunflower crops are up by 31.5% larger year-over-year (1.99 million hectares up).

As reported, the Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry predicts that all areas under grain crops, including winter and spring ones, will be 15.8 million hectares in 2012, which is almost the same area as in 2011.