Ag official says cost of sowing crops nearly doubled in Ukraine

The cost of sowing one hectare of cropland has nearly doubled, from US $90 to US $150-175, Ukraine’s First Deputy Minister for Agricultural Policy and Food Yaroslav Krasnopolskiy reports.

“In the past, sowing one hectare cost about US $90,” Krasnopolskiy says. “Today, it’s at least US $150-175, depending on the type of crop, which is quite expensive. The reason for this jump is mainly due to the growing cost of imported products: seeds, pesticides, fertilizers and fuel, which account for about 70% of the cost of sowing crops.”

As of late April, Ukraine had exported 28.5mn tonnes of grain, 9.9mn t of wheat, 14.1mn t of maize, 4.3mn t of barley, and 0.2mn t of other grain crops.

In 2014, Ukraine harvested a record grain yield of 63.8mn t, excluding the harvest in Crimea. This was 2.4% more than in 2013.

Source: UKRAPK

Tags: grain