Rapeseed is back in the lead: Ukrainian farmers sowed 1.6 million hectares of winter crops
24 September 2025 08:24
Ukraine is in the midst of an active sowing campaign. According to the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture, Ukrainian farmers have already sown more than 1.6 million hectares of winter crops, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
The main indicators of the sowing campaign
According to official statistics, winter crops have been sown in all regions of Ukraine. The largest areas are allocated for traditional grains and rapeseed:
- winter wheat – 672 thou hectares;
- winter barley – 37.7 thou hectares;
- winter rye – 17.7 thou hectares;
- winter rapeseed – 872.6 thou hectares.
Thus, rapeseed continues to be one of the key export crops, while wheat traditionally remains the mainstay of Ukrainian grain production.
Leaders among the regions
- Poltava, Kirovograd and Dnipropetrovs’k regions are the leaders in terms of grain plantings.
- The largest areas under winter rapeseed are concentrated in Vinnytsia, Khmelnytsky and Ternopil regions.
Importance for Ukraine’s economy
The sowing campaign is an important step in ensuring Ukraine’s food security and the stability of grain and oilseed exports. Despite the challenges of the war and weather factors, farmers continue to show good results.
According to experts, the 2026 winter crop will be one of the key factors for generating foreign exchange earnings and supporting the agricultural sector.
What experts say
Moisture deficit is dangerous
The Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Ukraine reports that soil moisture reserves are currently the lowest in seven seasons – only 79.6 mm against the average of 117 mm. This raises serious concerns about winter crop yields.
Harvest forecasts: optimism and risks
The Minister of Agrarian Policy Vitaliy Koval estimated the possible grain harvest in 2025 at 51 million tons, which is 10% less than in 2024, under unfavorable conditions.
At the same time, experts from the Institute of Agrarian Economics predict an 18-23% increase in spring grain production, including corn and millet, but they estimate that rapeseed harvest may fall by 13.1% due to changing market conditions.
As a reminder, in 2024, farmers planted 4.5 mln ha of winter grains and over 1.3 mln ha of rapeseed.
Due to the full-scale war, the area under crops was reduced, but Ukraine still retained its status as one of the leading exporters of grain and oilseeds in the world.
In recent years, rapeseed has become an important crop for biofuel supplies to the EU, where demand is consistently high.
The Ministry of Agrarian Policy predicts that in 2025, the acreage could reach a level close to the pre-war level.
