Ukraine, among the world leading sunflower seed producers, is likely to increase its 2010 sunseed crop to 6.85 million tonnes from 6.60 million in 2009, analyst UkrAgroConsult said on Wednesday. It said in a statement farms were likely to increase the sunseed sowing area to 4.5 million hectares in 2010 from 4.3 million in 2009.
The harvested area will also rise to 4.450 million hectares this year from 4.250 million a year earlier. UkrAgroConsult said the sunseed yield could slightly fall to 1.54 tonne per hectare in 2010 compared to 1.55 tonnes in 2009.
The consultancy also said the former Soviet republic could also increase its rapeseed crop to 1.869 million tonnes in 2010 from 1.845 million in 2009. Ukraine traditionally exports almost all its rapeseed and UkrAgroConsult said in the 2009/10 season the rapeseed export could rise to 1.78 million tonnes from the previous outlook of 1.69 million. In 2008/09 Ukraine exported 2.652 million tonnes of rapeseed and 875,000 tonnes in 2007/08.