You're reading: Ukraine cuts harvest of early grains by 23% in 2012

Ukraine has completed harvesting early grains and leguminous crops, threshing 25.18 million tonnes, which is 23.1% down from last year, the director of the economic development and agricultural market department at the Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry, Serhiy Kvasha, has said.

“As of August 10, 2012 Ukraine had completed harvesting early grain crops on 9.7 million hectares. Farms harvested 25.18 million tonnes of grain, which is 7.57 million tonnes less than last year,” he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday.

According to him, the average yield of these crops in Ukraine amounts to 25.9 centners per hectare, whereas in 2011 the figure was 30.4 centners per hectare.

Ukraine in 2012 reduced the harvest of wheat by 26.8% compared to 2011, to 16.29 million tonnes. The crops was harvested from 5.62 million hectares, its average yield reaches 29 centners per hectare against 34.4 centners per hectare in 2011.

Ukraine harvested 7.15 million tonnes of barley from 3.26 million hectares, which is 22.6% down from last year with the average yield being 21.9 centners per hectare.

According to Kvasha, agricultural enterprises increased the yield of rye at 27%, to 700,000 tonnes, harvesting it from 298,000 hectares with the average yield being 23.5 centners per hectare.

The oats harvest doubled and amounted to 665,000 tonnes from 300,000 hectares, with the average yield being 22.2 centners per hectare.

Ukrainian farms harvested 364,000 tonnes of peas from 212,000 hectares, with the average yield being 17.2 centners per hectare.

According to Kvasha, Ukraine to provide nutritional needs in 2012 needs 5.24 million tonnes of wheat, 100,000 tonnes of barley, 200,000 tonnes of maize, and 450,000 tonnes of rye.