Page 74 - UKRRptSept22

Ukraine's 2022 grain harvest is expected to fall to 50mn tonnes from a record 86mn tonnes in 2021, according to official estimates. Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky told Reuters the harvest could include 19mn tonnes of wheat, half of which would be exported, and 25mn-27mn tonnes of corn. Only half a million tonnes of wheat were exported in August, he said, adding that volumes would increase.
Ukraine's winter wheat area sown for the 2023 harvest will fall by at least 20% from 2022, to around 3.8mn hectares, due to the Russian invasion, Solsky said.
Ukraine sowed more than 6mn hectares of winter wheat for the 2022 harvest, but a large area was occupied during the invasion and only around 4.6mn hectares of wheat would be harvested in Ukrainian-controlled territory, the minister said.
At least 10mn tonnes of various grains could be harvested on non-controlled territory, but a significant area of non-controlled territory would not be sown this autumn, he said, without giving a figure.
A pipeline for vegetable oils will appear between Ukraine and Poland. Poland and Ukraine will work on a cross-border pipeline project to deliver Ukrainian vegetable oils to the port of Gdańsk. As reported by the office of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland has agreed to sign a corresponding memorandum with its Ukrainian counterparts. It is noted that the implementation of the memorandum will contribute to the partial unblocking of Ukrainian exports and increase food security in developing countries, which are currently threatened by hunger. As a result, this should reduce immigration pressure on Europe. Furthermore, both countries will form a working group that will explore possible options for the project. The memorandum will be concluded in three years with an automatic extension for another three years.
Ukrainian farmers have lowered the grain harvest forecast. In contrast to the Ministry of Agrarian Policies 68-million-ton grain harvest estimate, farmers have forecast a lower figure of 60 million tons, the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council has reported. The head of the association, Andrii Dykun, explains this as a result of the drought in the central regions and the occupation of the southern areas by Russian troops. Thus, this year's harvest will be 40% less than last year. According to Dykun, the Donetsk region has high yields, but this region is too close to the front lines. If Ukraine does not want the grain to be stolen by Russians, the government must make an appropriate political decision. In particular, grain should be brought to state elevators in safe regions. This must be done to protect this region’s harvest, which will amount to anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of tons of grain.
The Luhansk region’s entire grain harvest was taken to Russia.Agroton, the largest agricultural holding in the Luhansk region, had collected over 200,000 tons of grain. However, the occupiers shipped the entire harvest to Russia, said the head of the Luhansk OVA, Serhiy Gaidai. “Agroton had 20,000 tons of last year's harvest left at the beginning of the year. This year, the agricultural company has collected another 200,000 tons, but all of it has been exported to Russia. The situation is similar with Nibulon Holding’s products: the entire harvest was stolen," the head of the region emphasised. Currently, the agrarians of the Luhansk region are cooperating with
74 UKRAINE Country Report September 2022 www.intellinews.com