Ukrainian farmers thresh 33 million tonnes of grains, oilseeds, corn harvesting begins

MOSCOW. Aug 30 (Interfax) - Farmers of Ukraine have threshed nearly 33 million tonnes of new harvest crops while clearing grains and oilseeds from fields on 8.511 million hectares as of August 29 compared to 31.955 million tonnes harvested from 6.759 hectares a week earlier, Ukrainian media outlets reported, citing a statement of the Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry on Friday.

Over 28.712 million tonnes of grains and 4.205 million tonnes of oilseeds were harvested, compared to 28.595 million tonnes and 3.36 million tonnes, respectively, harvested a week earlier, the statement said.

This includes 21.76 million tonnes of wheat harvested from 4.86 million hectares compared to 21.74 million tonnes a week earlier, 5.49 million tonnes of barley from 1.4 million hectares, 458,500 tonnes of peas from 207,600 hectares, 18,300 tonnes of buckwheat from 12,400 hectares (6,200 tonnes from 4,300 hectares a week before), and 45,500 tonnes of millet from 24,700 hectares (20,000 tonnes from 11,900 hectares a week before), it said. Farmers harvested 909,300 tonnes of other grains and grain legumes (882,800 tonnes the previous week).

The harvest of corn on 6,600 hectares started in the Poltava and Cherkassy regions this week, it said.

The harvest of oilseeds is continuing in Ukraine. In particular, over 3.404 million tonnes of rapeseed have already been harvested from 1.23 million hectares, compared to 3,362 million tonnes a week before, 381,800 tonnes of soybean from 223,700 hectares (7,000 tonnes from 6,600 hectares in the previous week), and 419,400 tonnes of sunflower from 256,500 hectares (51,700 tonnes from 46,700 hectares a week before)

Farmers in the four regions, Vinnitsa, Lvov, Poltava and Ternopol, started harvesting sugar beet, and its harvest area grew from 200 hectares to 1,200 hectares within a week.

As at the same date last year, the Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry reported harvesting over 33 million tonnes of crops, including 29,184 million tonnes of grains from 6.642 millin hectares and over 4 million of oilseeds from 1.43 million hectares. In particular, Ukrainian farmers harvested 22.14 million tonnes of wheat, 5.81 million tonnes of barley, 385,700 tonnes of peas, 27,700 tonnes of buckwheat, and 34,100 tonnes of millet.

The harvest of rapeseed reached four million tonnes, sunflower 49,400 tonnes and soybeans 30,600 tonnes as at the same date last year.