Farmers Have Harvested Half of Sunflower and Soybean Areas

The total volume harvested amounted to 46.25 million tonnes, which is 3.57 million tonnes more than a week earlier. Over the week, the harvested area increased by 1.31 million hectares, according to the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB).

«At the beginning of October, late crops continue to account for the main increase in harvested volumes. Sunflower provided almost half of the weekly increase, while the harvesting of corn, soybeans and sugar beet also accelerated noticeably,» the analysts noted.

Sunflower production reached 5.38 million tonnes from 2.54 million hectares, or 48.6% of the forecast area. Over the week, the harvested volume increased by 2.02 million tonnes and the area by 884.0 thousand hectares. The average yield stands at 21.2 centners/ha.

Soybean production reached 1.89 million tonnes from 851.4 thousand hectares, or 53.1% of the forecast area. Over the week, the harvested volume increased by 674.5 thousand tonnes, while the average yield stands at 22.2 centners/ha.

Corn production reached 1.62 million tonnes from 294.2 thousand hectares, or 6.5% of the forecast area. Over the week, the harvested volume increased by 833.8 thousand tonnes, while the average yield stands at 55.2 centners/ha.

Buckwheat production reached 51.1 thousand tonnes from 40.1 thousand hectares, or 82.5% of the area. The average yield stands at 12.8 centners/ha.

Millet production reached 80.1 thousand tonnes from 35.3 thousand hectares, or 86.4% of the forecast area, with an average yield of 22.7 centners/ha.

Sugar beet production reached 824.6 thousand tonnes from 16.3 thousand hectares, or 9.5% of the forecast area. Over the week, the volume increased by 528.1 thousand tonnes, while the average yield stands at 506.5 centners/ha.

In terms of total grain harvest, Odesa Region leads with 5.59 million tonnes, followed by Dnipropetrovsk Region with 2.79 million tonnes and Mykolaiv Region with 2.67 million tonnes.

«At the beginning of October, sunflower and soybeans have already passed the halfway mark or are close to half of the forecast area, while most of the corn harvest still remains in the fields. Therefore, in the coming weeks, the acceleration of corn harvesting will increasingly determine the dynamics of the overall gross harvest,» Maksym Hopka, Head of the Analytical Department at UCAB, concluded.