Ministry: 86% of winter grain crops in Ukraine in good condition
Winter grain crops in Ukraine had sprouted on 98% of 7.6 million hectares (ha) under the crops, and 86% of them are in a good condition.
"Seedlings sprouted on the area covering 98% of 7.6 million ha under crops, of which 86% are in good and satisfactory condition, while the share of weak sprouts is 14%," the Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry's press service said in a statement on February 14. In addition, winter rapeseed seedlings sprouted on 99% of the area under crops.
In particular, 92% of them are in good and satisfactory condition, while weak sprouts accounted for 8%, the report said. As of February 14, 2019, farmers in 14 Ukrainian regions added mineral fertilizers on 648,100 ha, or 9% of the planned area under winter crops, which was 4% up as of February 14, 2018, the press service added.
In particular, mineral fertilizers were added on 537,500 ha under winter wheat (8% of the target), 1,500 ha under winter rye (1%), 109,000 ha under winter barley (11%), and 240,100 ha under winter rapeseed (19%). The state of winter crops in Ukraine in 2019 is the best over the last five years, the press service said. As UNIAN reported earlier, the grain harvest in 2018 exceeded a record high yield of 66 million tonnes of grain in 2016.