Prolonged sowing campaign in Ukraine threatens to reduce yields of late crops
A cold and prolonged spring, along with excessive soil waterlogging after winter snow, has led to a forced delay in the sowing campaign for spring crops, especially late ones.
This was reported by the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club.
«While Ukrainian farmers have almost completed the sowing of spring wheat and barley, the situation with corn, sunflower and soybean sowing is more critical. Compared with the pace of the sowing campaigns in 2024 and 2025, this year there is a significant lag. At the beginning of May in the previous two years, the share of already sown areas stood at 73% for corn, 72% for sunflower and 58% for soybeans. As of May 4, 2026, corn and sunflower had been sown on only 30% of the planned areas, and soybeans on 18%,» the experts stated.
They added that this situation threatens to reduce the yield levels of these crops.
«The greatest risks are for corn, as it requires the longest time to mature, or farmers need to use faster-maturing hybrids. In addition, all crops may face additional risks related to weeds and diseases. Much will depend on further weather conditions,» UCAB forecasts.
Analysts explain that farmers are now facing a new challenge — to carry out the sowing campaign within the shortest possible timeframe. In addition to the problems listed above, high temperatures arrived very quickly after the period of low temperatures, which threatens additional moisture loss.
