Sowing pace in Ukraine lags behind last year by 20-30%, state of crops much worse – Minister Solsky

Ukraine in terms of the total area of crops in the current season is lagging behind compared to last year's figures, the lag depending on the crop is from 20% to 30%, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Solsky said at a briefing at the Ukrainian Media Center on Monday.

"The quality of crops is significantly worse compared to previous years for obvious reasons. This is already very bad for global markets and even worse in the medium or long term," he added.

According to the minister, in addition to the military invasion of the Russian Federation, the course of the sowing season is negatively affected by a number of factors, primarily logistical ones.

"The sowing season in Ukraine is quite active. There are understandable difficulties, primarily with logistics. Farmers and agricultural enterprises spend less money on basic things – seeds, herbicides. They save as much as possible, given the interruptions in diesel supplies. Obviously, there are losses in time, let's call it that, because the curfew, the movement of equipment, some equipment went to the front, there are also fewer people left," Solsky said.

According to him, there are difficulties with the storage of agricultural products and fuel. The combination of these factors leads to both a decrease in the volume of agricultural goods produced and a deterioration in its quality.

Source: www.en.interfax.com.ua