Ukraine expects record high yield of maize due to rains in May

Head of the Agrometeorology Department of the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center Tetiana Adamenko says the rains in May 2020 formed the conditions for a record high yield of maize this year.

"The rains have provided good soil moisture for late crops. It's a paradise for maize, sunflower, and soybean crops. It's not warm enough yet, but a rise in temperature in Ukraine is expected in three to four days," she told UNIAN.

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According to Adamenko, Ukrainian farmers will be able to harvest 68 million tonnes of grain this year if the weather remains favorable for maize crops.

"There should be a record high yield of maize to ensure 68 million tonnes of grain. There will definitely not be a record for wheat this year since crops in Odesa, Kherson and other southern regions, where wheat fields are the largest in Ukraine, suffered from drought in March-April," she said.

The expert emphasized although the rains had provided moisture to 80% of the sown area in the country, the rainfall was not so significant in the south, and the soil in some areas remained dry.

Soil moisture under the early crops has improved, but it is not enough yet, she said. A wheat crop can be expected below average in Odesa, Kherson, and other southern regions.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture says that a gross harvest of 65-68 million tonnes of grain in Ukraine in 2020 is realistic.

Ukrainian farmers in 2019 harvested 75 million tonnes of grain, including 35.8 million tonnes of maize and 28.3 million tonnes of wheat.