Denys Marchuk on autumn sowing campaign: this year number of cultivated areas is twice smaller than before full-scale invasion

The autumn sowing campaign is coming to an end. However, due to a number of factors caused by russia’s full-scale invasion, the amount of cultivated land is significantly less this year.

Denys Marchuk, Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Agrarian Council, made this statement during a briefing at Ukraine – Ukrinform Media Center.

“It was not easy, as it was last year during active hostilities, but, nevertheless, farmers are in the field, they are working. What is significant is that the number of cultivated areas was really reduced, compared to the pre-war, full-scale invasion – in fact, the cultivated areas were reduced by two times. Here, the factors are clear. They include occupied territories, mined territories and front-line zones where active hostilities are taking place. But also, the lack of funds remains a very important factor, as well as the weather conditions, which played a little role in the delay, because there was a drought for some time, and the farmers could not work in the fields,” he explained.

At the same time, Denys Marchuk noted that about 3.8 million hectares were sown with wheat, which is two times less compared to the period before the full-scale invasion.

“Why did this happen? I would like to emphasize the financial component. Because in fact, within this current year, 2023, Ukrainian commodity producers have lost about UAH 100 billion because they didn’t receive enough funding and couldn’t sell their products. That is, logistics created a very big problem with the pricing. And in fact, many enterprises haven’t made profit from the entire group of cereals, and even from sunflowers this season. Therefore, of course, under these conditions, it is unfortunately impossible to state that we could expand our sowing capabilities,” he added.

At the same time, Denys Marchuk emphasized that this will in no way affect the food security of the country, but it may affect the export potential.

“With what we have now in terms of the winter cereal group, and, I think, in terms of the spring crops as well, we will be fully provided for. The only thing that this will affect is, of course, the export potential, it is the possibility of sales to foreign markets, and therefore the possibility for us as a state to receive money in foreign currency, and, of course, for commodity producers to receive funds,” he said.

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