Heavy rains in almost all Ukrainian regions have improved the condition of spring and winter grain significantly boosting crop outlook, a senior agriculture official said on Friday.
"Rains on Thursday and Friday have improved the condition of crops in Ukraine, including crops in southern and eastern regions, affected by drought in late April-early May," First Deputy Agriculture Minister Yuri Luzan told Reuters.
"Now our crops are in good condition and that allows us to forecast a good grain crop this year."
The government has said the country plans to harvest between 32 and 35 million tonnes of grain in 2004, including about 15 million tonnes of wheat.
Severe frosts in December 2002, ice on fields in January-March and drought in May-June killed a million hectares of Ukraine's 2003 winter crop, cutting the country's wheat output to four million tonnes from 20.5 million in 2002.
Ukraine harvested 20.2 million tonnes of grain in 2003 compared with 38.8 million in 2002 and 39.7 million tonnes in 2001.
Early this week Ukrainian weather forecasters said a lack of water in the soil of southern and eastern regions could affect spring crops and cut this year's grain harvest.
They said water content in the soil is between 40 and 50 percent below the normal level.
SPRING SOWING: Ukrainian farms have almost completed early grain, sunflower and sugar beet sowing to 2004 crop, a senior agriculture official said on Friday.
"We have sown about 15.5 million hectares of spring crops, including 5.830 million hectares to early spring grain," First Deputy Agriculture Minister Yuri Luzan told reporters.
"We have almost completed the sowing of early grain and expect the area under early grains to total about six million hectares."
The government has said the country plans to sow about 17 million hectares to spring crops, including about eight million hectares to early and late spring grains.
Luzan also said farms had sown 800,000 hectares to sugar beet and 2.5 million hectares to sunflower.
"We hope farms will sow additional 100,000 hectares to sugar beet," Luzan said.
The government has said Ukraine plans to harvest about 16 million tonnes of sugar beet in 2004 compared with 13.5 million tonnes in 2003. The country also plans to produce about 1.8 million tonnes of white sugar from beet compared with 1.45 million in 2003.
The government has also forecast that Ukraine might harvest about four million tonnes of sunseed compared with 4.2 million tonnes a year ago.
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