Abnormal heat destroys part of the crops: which crops will have their yields reduced
19 July 2024 15:33
ЕКСКЛЮЗИВ
Due to the intense heat wave that has gripped Eastern Europe, crops are drying out in Ukraine. This could lead to the loss of some grain,Tatyana Adamenko, head of the agricultural department at the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Centre, told Bloomberg. Denis Marchuk, deputy head of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council, told Komersant ukrainskyi
Bloomberg writes that the heat wave sweeping the Black Sea region is hurting Eastern Europe’s top two grain producers, Ukraine and Romania, as high temperatures dry out crops, drive up electricity prices and increase costs.
As Romanians face temperatures in excess of 40C (104F), the government in Bucharest is seeking €500 million in compensation, partly from the European Union, for farmers this year, especially corn and sunflower producers. Romanian Agriculture Minister Florin Barbu said the scale of the losses could push companies into bankruptcy.
“But Ukraine, which has already experienced the third year of war, has no such option. In a war-torn country, the heat makes life even harder. For Ukrainians fighting the Russian invasion, this is another burden,”
– the agency said.
Kernel Holding SA, a key agricultural producer, said the heat was destroying some of its 80,000 hectares of corn. The Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Centre expects the heat wave to cut corn yields by 30%.
Tatyana Adamenko, head of the Ukrhydrometcenter’s agricultural department, said that no grain crops will be able to grow at the current air temperature.
“Nothing grows at these temperatures. No grain crop can safely withstand this heat,”
– adamenko emphasised.
The agency notes that the decline in corn production could affect stocks and increase the cost of livestock feed across the continent, posing greater risks to food security, including grain supplies to Africa.
Denis Marchuk, Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Agrarian Council, in a comment to Kommersant Ukrainian
However, high temperatures will significantly affect the harvest of spring crops such as sunflower, soybeans and corn, especially in the central and southern regions of the country.
Marchuk noted that the overall situation with the gross harvest of grains and oilseeds could be significantly reduced. It is difficult to predict the exact extent of losses as the process of crop maturation and pollination is still ongoing. However, preliminary analyses suggest that losses could reach over 35%.
“We will have a clearer picture of the impact of the heat on the harvest by mid-August. But we can already say that these weather conditions will have a significant impact on the final harvest figures. We have statistics – an analysis for Ukraine – that more than 35% of losses may be due to the heat wave in crops,”
– the expert concluded.
On 19 July, theMinistry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine reported that Ukraine has already harvested more than 15 million tonnes of grains and oilseeds.
In particular
- wheat – 2,626.5 thousand hectares have been threshed, 10.3 million tonnes have been harvested;
- barley – 824.2 thousand hectares were threshed, with a harvest of 3.1 million tonnes
- peas – 154.7 thou hectares harvested, 319.3 thou tonnes harvested;
- rapeseed – 779.1 thousand hectares were harvested, 1.8 million tonnes of seeds were harvested;
- soybeans – 0.15 thou hectares harvested, 0.29 thou tonnes harvested.
Farmers in Kherson region have started harvesting millet, with 50 hectares threshed and 80 tonnes of seeds harvested.
The following regions are leading ingrain har vesting:
- Odesa region – 629.4 thou hectares harvested,
- Dnipropetrovs’k region – 544.2 thou hectares,
- Mykolaiv region, where 527.5 thou hectares were threshed.
Ivano-Frankivsk region is the leader in terms of yield, with 65.1 centners per hectare.
