Ukrainian Winter Crop Yields Better Than Expected
23 August 2012 
Despite having suffered extremely unfavorable weather conditions during planting and the winter season, winter crops in Ukraine have been showing better than expected yields.
Accordingly, FAS-Kyiv has changed its production estimates for Ukraine. Preliminary estimates for production of wheat, barley and rye were increased to 15.0 million metric tons (MMT), 6.6 MMT, and 0.65 MMT. Corn production, however, was reduced to 21.0 MMT.
The main Ukrainian winter crops — wheat, barley, and rye — enjoyed quite favorable spring weather conditions so that a good share of winter plantings were able to recover after the harsh fall planting and winter seasons. Cool spring temperatures in Central and Northern Ukraine along with some ‘just in time’ spring showers played a major role in this process. Sunny and warm June weather that followed added to the benefit of the crop and resulted in the higher quality grain that has been reported through the country.
Over 1.6 million hectares (mln ha) of winterkill areas were replanted with spring crops. Over 0.5 mln ha reportedly was replanted with corn and about 0.5 mln ha with spring barley. Some winterkill area was also replanted with sorghum and other spring crops.
There were some reports of extremely hot and dry weather occurring for up to several weeks in a row during the corn kernel formation phase in the main corn growing regions in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Hydrometcenter has recently reduced its projections for corn production in Ukraine down to 21 MMT. A number of other leading industry experts have also lowered their projections to between 20 MMT and 23 MMT.
Grain exports in July 2012 did not pick up significantly, compared to the previous months, the way they usually would at the start of the new season. Reports of crop damage in the U.S. and significant reduction in production of the early cereals in parts of the EU has set the tone for the growing world market prices for agricultural commodities. This has become one of the main reasons that slowed down the trade in Ukraine. However, overall export projections for the major crops in Ukraine were raised for wheat up to 6.0 MMT and for barley, up to, 2.2 MMT. Export projections for corn were left unchanged at this time.
Source: USDA, Edited by FCI Staff
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