Ukraine boosts imports of oil crop seeds in 2019

Ukraine in 2019 boosted imports of seeds of oil crops by 1.7% against 2018, up to 84,000 tonnes.

Read alsoUkrainian farmers export almost 44 mln tonnes of grain since July 1

The United States was the major supplier of oilseeds to Ukraine in the past year, having sold the produce worth US$340 million, which accounted for 28% of Ukraine's total imports, the press service of the National Scientific Center "Institute of Agrarian Economics" said on March 25.

Turkey ranked second among Ukraine's largest oilseeds suppliers with 17%. Then come France with 11.9%, Germany with 9.9%, and India with 5.6%, the report said.

Traditionally, sunflower seeds are in the highest demand among this group of products in Ukraine. Last year, Ukrainian farmers bought 33,000 tonnes of sunflower seeds abroad worth US$249 million.

"Given the current trends, oilseeds will remain one of the key staples of domestic agricultural imports this year," the press service added.

As UNIAN reported earlier, experts from the Institute of Agrarian Economics explained the rise in seeds imports in Ukraine in 2019 by agricultural holdings' increased demand.