According to preliminary estimates, in 2023, the area under grain crops in Ukraine will be reduced by 45% year-on-year, and the harvest will be 50-60% lower than the pre-war level, forecasted the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine.
"The reasons for this reduction are: a decrease in all cultivated areas, a change in the structure of crops and a decrease in the yield of grain crops. In addition, the lack of funding and the need for significant savings caused a 50-60% decrease in the amount of applied fertilizers. Significant areas of corn crops remained in the fields unharvested. As a result, the expected level of the yield may decrease (depending on the region and crop) by 15-30% compared to the average yield of previous years," the scientists noted.
As a result, it is expected that the forecasted grain production in Ukraine in 2023 may amount to 34 mln tonnes, which is 37% lower y-o-y and 60% lower compared to 2021. As for oilseed crops, the production is expected to be 19.3 mln tonnes, which is 13% higher y-o-y, but 15% lower against 2021.
