Ukraine's Astarta completes spring sowing campaign

MOSCOW. May 21 (Interfax) - Astarta agro-industrial holding, Ukraine's largest producer of sugar, has completed the sowing of spring crops, Ukrainian media reported, citing a statement that the company's press service posted on social media.

The structure of crops under the key crops of the agricultural holding is sugar beets on 38,000 hectares, soybeans on more than 70,000 hectares, corn on 6,000 hectares, and sunflowers on 18,000 hectares.

Winter wheat occupies 49,000 hectares, and winter rapeseed occupies 12,000 hectares.

As noted, the area of organic farming is 2,000 hectares, and the range, in addition to the already traditional organic crops of sunflower, soybeans, mustard, flax and millet, has been expanded to winter rapeseed and chickpeas.

According to the report, a long-term stable temperature period accompanied early spring this year, which affected both the timing and the dynamics of the sowing campaign. For example, the group sowed sugar beets in just 12 days, whereas it usually takes 14-18 days.

The sowing dates for all crops have overall shifted two weeks earlier.

"Accordingly, this will affect the shift in the timing of the harvesting campaign. This year, we expect to harvest rapeseed in the final ten days of June, and wheat also at the end of June to the beginning of July," Roman Pavlik, head of the company's crop production department, said.

The press service said that farmers are continuing to carry out work to care for crops and prepare for the early grain harvest.

Astarta is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding, which includes sugar factories, agricultural farms with a land bank of 220,000 hectares, dairy farms, an oil extraction plant, elevators, and a biogas complex.