KYIV (Reuters) – Heavy frosts across almost all Ukrainian regions in the first half of January did not have a negative impact on winter grain crops, which are in mostly satisfactory condition, analyst APK-Inform quoted government scientists as saying on Monday.
Winter wheat has historically accounted for about 95% of all wheat grown in Ukraine, but the yield depends largely on favourable weather conditions from autumn to late spring.
"Such weather conditions have no negative impact on wintering of winter crops and today winter crops in Ukraine are in satisfactory condition," APK-Inform cited Ukraine's National Agrarian Academy as saying of the recent frosts.
Ukrainian farmers sowed about 4.2 million hectares of winter wheat for the 2024 harvest, compared with 4.5 million hectares a year earlier.
Ukraine's first deputy minister Taras Vysotskiy said late last year that the country could harvest up to 20 million metric tons of winter wheat from the sown area.
Ukraine harvested more than 22 million tons of wheat last year.