Rare blackening of wheat is recorded in Ukraine – for the first time in 30 years
31 July 10:11
Ukraine is experiencing a rare agricultural phenomenon – blackening of wheat. The reason for this was the excessive amount of rain that hit the country during the harvest period. Leonid Kozachenko, President of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation, told "Komersant Ukrainian" that this is only the second time in the last 30 years that such a situation has occurred.
The situation is particularly alarming for winter and early grain crops. Due to excessive moisture, wheat ears are turning black right in the fields, and, according to farmers, this process is already irreversible.
“It’s very difficult to turn this blackened wheat into a usable condition. If it is non-food wheat, for example, of the fourth grade and below, it can be mixed with similar wheat for feed production. But in any case, not for use in bakery products,” emphasizes Kozachenko.
This year’s weather conditions proved to have a double impact on the agricultural sector. While moisture is a blessing in disguise for late-season crops such as corn and sunflower, it is an actual threat to crop losses for wheat, barley and rapeseed.
“The current weather and climate conditions, on the one hand, have a positive impact on late grain crops, such as corn, oilseeds, and sunflower,” explains Kozachenko.
According to him, these crops are now in the final growing season, and their yields will depend on the availability of moisture.
However, the situation changes dramatically when it comes to winter and early grain crops. Kozachenko emphasizes:
“But the impact on winter crops and early grain crops, such as barley, wheat and rapeseed, is negative.”
Experts warn that the consequences of such weather can have a significant impact on both the domestic market and exports. Blackened wheat loses its quality and can no longer be used in food production.
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