“Half as much moisture”: farmers talk about the main challenges for the 2025 harvest
24 March 15:33
OPINION
The lack of moisture in the soil after a snowy winter and dry March is causing concern among Ukrainian farmers. Experts are divided in their assessments of threats to the future harvest, but all agree that the situation requires close attention. The topic was analyzed by "Komersant Ukrainian".
Climate challenges for farmers and the whole country
“Currently, the situation is quite unpredictable in terms of weather and climate conditions. But the lack of moisture has created many problems for our agricultural enterprises in recent years,”
– he told exclusively to
According to him, the need for investment in irrigation systems for fields where not only grain crops are grown, but also vegetables and fruits is growing every day. And they all need more moisture than is provided by precipitation.
Kozachenko also recalled the loss of about 400,000 hectares of existing irrigation systems in Ukraine due to the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant:
“This is a large area. This is what needs to be restored after the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant is rebuilt. Because if it takes more than five years and we don’t do it, there will be a desert there.”
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Moisture deficit in numbers
The President of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation emphasized the critical level of moisture deficit from precipitation:
“Now there is a little moisture, but if you look at the figures, you need at least 140 ml per square meter. We had 80. That is almost half as much as the average for the last 10 years.”
Although the recent rains have reassured farmers a bit, Kozachenko warns that once the grain germinates, the need for moisture during the growing season increases even more. In general, the farmer considers climate change to be one of the most pressing problems in Ukraine today.
“In addition to all the problems related to the war, to the problems in the fiscal sphere, monetary policy, we also have weather and climate conditions that pose a danger to us.”
Restrained assessments of the situation
Denys Marchuk, deputy head of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council, is more optimistic about the situation. Talking to farmers, he notes that “there is no criticality.”
“Precipitation was already last week, and this partially strengthened the work – now the drought is not so much felt. Now there will be precipitation again.”
– he calmly assesses the situation exclusively for
Regarding the condition of winter crops, he admits that some regions have experienced difficulties, but in general, the lack of snow “did not affect the condition of winter crops in general.” Mr. Marchuk assures that farmers are fully prepared to carry out the planned plantings.
“There is no need to state that some crops may be under threat,”
– says the expert.
He adds that weather conditions definitely make their own adjustments and lead to certain difficulties in the work of farmers, for example, some crops will have to be sown almost simultaneously, but in general, he does not see any critical threats.
Challenges of the sowing campaign
According to Leonid Kozachenko, this year’s sowing campaign started two weeks earlier than usual, and thousands of hectares of land have already been sown. Marchuk predicts that due to weather conditions and labor shortages, some types of work will have to be done faster and certain crops will have to be sown almost simultaneously, which creates additional technological challenges.
Despite the differences in their assessments, both experts agree that the situation requires close attention from farmers and an appropriate response to ensure a successful 2025 agricultural season.
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