Page 10 - UKRRptDec19

It might also be because of the media they consume. The vast majority of respondents - 84% - said they get their news from Russian television, including TV channels like Rossiya 1 (43%), NTV (26%) and Rossiya 24 (19%), which regularly air pro-Kremlin propagandistic coverage and talk shows.
In fact, according to the survey, the second most respected person among residents of the occupied Donbas (after Russian President Vladimir Putin) is pro-Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov, who works for Rossiya 1.
It is unclear how many people remain in the occupied territories of Donbas. Before the war, the total population of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts was 6.5 million. Around 3.8 million of them resided in cities, towns and villages which are now controlled by Russian-backed militants, according to Ukraine's State Statistics Service.
2.7​ ​Ukraine already broken 2019 record harvest record
Ukraine on course to smash its 2019 grain harvest record, remain world’s biggest exporter. ​With the winter grain harvest still underway Ukraine’s farmers have already brought in more grain this season than in all of last year and are on course to smash the previous record.
Ukrainian farmers have threshed a record 70.8mn tons as of the middle of November, reports UBN, more than the 70.1mn tons threshed during all of last year -- also a record year.
By the end of this year Ukraine’s grain harvest is expected to be up by 5.5%, to 74mn tons, predicts Timofei Milovanov, Minister of Economic Development, Trade, and Agriculture.
The bumper harvest has been helped by the extremely mild autumn weather in Eastern Europe were temperatures are the highest on record.
Last year’s record breaking crop allowed Ukraine to export 50.4mn tonnes of grain, just beating out Russia to claim the title of world’s biggest exporter of grain and earn over $20bn from the trade as a result.
This year’s exports of grain will almost certainly be higher at circa 25mn tonnes, which easily allow it to hold on to its biggest exporter title.
Kyiv-based brokerage ICU predicts this year’s grain harvest will be 75mn tons – 7% above last year’s bumper harvest of 70mn tons. In the mix, Corn remains king, dropping only 1% from last year’s record harvest, hitting 35.3mn tons. The dynamic crops are Barley -- +23% to 9mn tons; and Wheat -- +14% to 28.2mn tons.
This week also saw the Rada begin debating new laws that would allow for the buying and selling of land. Analyst predict that if the legislation go through and a land market is established then the investment that agriculture could attract will result in grain production as much as doubling.
10​ UKRAINE Country Report​ December 201 ​ ​www.intellinews.com