Spring sowing campaign begins in Ukraine – Vysotskyi

The spring sowing campaign is beginning in Ukraine. This was stated on March 9 by Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine Taras Vysotskyi during a broadcast on the Suspilne TV channel.

He noted that this year the start of fieldwork in most regions is expected somewhat later than the average for previous years. The reason was deeper soil freezing and a longer-lasting snow cover in some regions. At the same time, farmers are entering the active phase of fieldwork with the necessary stocks of fuel, seeds and other resources.

“Farmers have reserves of key resources for the spring sowing campaign for at least several weeks, and often for several months. This is necessary because agricultural production has a long cycle: one harvest per year requires thorough preparation in advance. Fuel for fieldwork has also been purchased in advance, so no resource shortages are observed at the start of the sowing campaign,” T. Vysotskyi said.

According to him, a possible rise in fuel prices currently does not have a critical impact on production economics. Fuel may account for 10-15% of the production cost structure for certain crops, so even if prices increase, the impact on the final production cost is estimated at about 1-2%.

Traditionally, the sowing campaign begins in the southern regions of Mykolaiv, Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk region and gradually moves north across the country.

According to estimates by the Ministry of Economy, the area sown with spring crops in 2026 will not change significantly and will remain roughly at last year’s level. This also applies to frontline regions, where farmers plan to sow all available and safe land.

Vysotsky also added that winter crops in Ukraine have overwintered successfully – in most regions losses do not exceed 3–5%, and in some cases there are none. At the same time, the situation is somewhat more difficult in several regions. In particular, losses of winter crops may reach 30-40% in Kirovohrad region, up to 20–30% in Vinnytsia region, and up to 10-20% in Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Cherkasy region.

“However, even in regions with higher losses this does not threaten farm operations, as winter crops usually account for only 20-30% of the crop structure. In terms of total production, the losses will be significantly smaller,” he concluded.

https://me.gov.ua