As of February 29, Ukraine has sowed 22,300 hectares of grain and leguminous crops in four regions, the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food reported on Thursday.

According to the report, farmers in Vinnytsia, Mykolaiv, Odesa and Kherson regions have begun the spring sowing campaign. They have already sowed wheat on 800 hectares, barley on 11,400 hectares, and peas on 10,200 hectares.

In Odesa region, barley has already been sown on 7,800 hectares and peas on 7,100 hectares, in Mykolaiv region – 3,500 hectares of barley and 2,400 hectares of peas, in Vinnytsia region – 800 hectares and 500 hectares were sown with wheat and peas, respectively, in Kherson region – 50 hectares of barley and 150 hectares of peas.

The Ministry of Agrarian Policy, based on the results of a survey conducted in the state agrarian register on the preparation of agricultural producers for the sowing campaign of spring crops for the 2024 harvest, reported that 70% of respondents plan to increase the area under soybeans by an average of 21% compared to 2023.

The survey also showed that during the spring sowing season, grain legumes will remain a priority for Ukrainian farmers, the acreage under which will increase by 11%, and spring barley – by 7%. It is expected that the area under spring rapeseed will increase by 24%, sugar beet - by 17%, and the area under corn will decrease by 9%. The area under sunflower may potentially decrease.

In general, in 2024, the area under spring crops may decrease by 500,000 hectares or by 3.7% compared to last season, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy predicts.