The Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry of Ukraine has said that fields with buckwheat should be expanded in 2015 to satisfy the needs of the domestic market.
"Ukraine should plant at least 180,000 tonnes of buckwheat to satisfy the rational buckwheat consumption standard. Taking into account the average yield of buckwheat of 10 centners per hectare, 180,000 hectares should be sowed, while this year it is planned to sow it on 118,000 hectares," acting director of the agriculture department Pavlo Hrynko said at a telephone conference with the regions in Kyiv on Thursday.
He said that Khmelnytsky region cut fields with buckwheat by 27,000 hectares, Kirovohrad region – by 16,000 hectares and Vinnytsia region by 14,000 hectares. Fields in Kyiv, Poltava, Sumy, Ternopil and Kharkiv regions fell by over 10,000 hectares.
"Taking into account the favorable situation with the price of buckwheat and the insufficient sowing of early spring crops, the forecasted fields with buckwheat should be revised to ensure food security," he said.
He also said that Agrarian Fund is to conduct forward purchases of buckwheat of the 2015 harvest under the order of the ministry.
