Because of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, the country’s pride – agriculture, which, according to the State Statistics Service, together with the forestry and fishery sector last year amounted to 10.6 % of GDP – is suffering dramatically. This was told to the Italian online publication Adnkonos by Minister of Agricultural Policy Mykola Solsky, reports ProAgro Group, citing information from the ministry.
“The percentage of losses today is very high and it is difficult to calculate. The war is still going on, and the losses, unfortunately, are increasing every day. We now estimate that crops will decrease by 20-30% compared to last year. Obstacles caused by military action can lead to a decrease in the quality of crops and yields per hectare. According to preliminary data, about 20-30% of the area of arable land may remain unseeded. The exact figure will be known by the end of May, when the sowing campaign is over,” said the minister.
Nikolai Solski notes that many farmers have actually changed the culture of sowing. For example, those who sowed corn last year, prefer sunflowers this year. As a result, corn yield will decrease. At the same time, soybean, canola, barley and wheat crops have increased.
“According to preliminary data, the drop in production in general ranges from 40 to 70%, depending on the product and the situation in each region,” Mykola Solsky added.
