Ukraine ups 2022 spring sowing area forecast – ministry

(Reuters) – Ukraine’s agriculture ministry on Saturday revised up its forecast for the realm to be sown to 2022 spring crops, giving no cause for the brand new outlook.

Round 13.4 million hectares of assorted commodities, similar to corn, cereals, sugar beet and sunflower is likely to be sown this yr, 3.5 million hectares lower than in 2021, the ministry mentioned in a report.

The forecast is considerably increased than an estimate in March from Roman Leshchenko, then the agriculture minister, who mentioned the 2022 spring crop sowing space might greater than halve from final yr to some 7 million hectares.

The ministry’s report didn’t give a breakdown of acreage for separate commodities.

Ukraine is a serious international agriculture producer and exporter, however the Russian invasion since February is predicted to result in a pointy discount within the 2022 harvest and exports within the forthcoming 2022/23 season.

The ministry mentioned farmers had already began sowing spring wheat, barley, peas, sunflower, rape seed, sugar beet and soy beans.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, enhancing by Clelia Oziel)