MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th April, 2022) Ukraine is intending to sow from 70% to 80% of its crops cultivating areas this season, Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotskyi said on Monday.
"A pessimistic prognosis is that we will manage to sow 70%. If in these territories, Chernihiv, Sumy regions, where there was and there are huge agricultural lands, we will manage to demine (the fields) in coming weeks, then probably the acreage will expand up to 80%," Vysotskyi told Rada broadcaster.
According to the official, the government has elaborated a mechanism to ensure mine clearance at the fields. Yet the most pressing issue is the availability of fuel.
"It (fuel) was not purchased by 80-90%, and now daily coordination is conducted to supply agrarians with diesel," Vysotskyi added.
Last week, Ukrainian agrarian analytic agency APK-Inform reported that Ukraine may lose nearly 40% of the sown areas of crops this year. In the event of a 30% loss of yield per hectare, the total drop in harvest could reach 60%.
The World Food Programme has warned that the conflict in Ukraine will lead to spiraling food prices and exacerbate hunger across the world, due to disrupted supply chains and derailed crops production. Such regions as Africa and the middle East may suffer the most, being dependent on cheap grain exports, with the total of 811 million people worldwide exposed to the risk of malnutrition.
Ukraine is a key global grain producer, accounting for 9% of the world's wheat exports, 13.5% of corn and 70% of sunflower products, therefore any disruption in supplies drives prices up, resulting in growing food insecurity across the world.
