Ukraine’s July-August 2024 grain harvest has finalized impressively and so are preliminary exports despite war and last minute dry conditions.
By August 19, the country had reaped 5.788 million tonnes of multiple cereals, 2.181 million tonnes more than in the corresponding mid-August 2023.
Leading the preliminary tally are wheat at 2.777 million tonnes, corn at 2.084 million tonnes, and barley at 907,000 tonnes.
Meanwhile. exports of the new winter wheat and spring cereals were 60.5% up year-on-year (y-o-y), by August 19, 2024.
These exports included wheat and barley whose harvests were over, and oilseeds, whose harvest was 99% complete by the 19th.
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food on August 16, 2024, the harvest has landed 31.9 million tonnes of cereals and oilseeds.
Grain Harvest Shows Yield Decrement
Though exports are up, production is downbeat for grains like wheat and barley, both of which have even lost acreage.
The ministry pegs 2024-25’s wheat total at 21.7 million tonnes, slightly above the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s estimate of 21.6 million tonnes.
Ministerial data also shows that the wheat acreage has decreased from 5 million hectares to 4.85 million hectares y-o-y.
So has the 2024-25 yield rate also decreased from 4.59 tonnes per hectare to 4.47 tonnes per hectare. The USDA wheat yield estimate in its part is 4.15 tonnes a hectare.
Barley shows a similar downward curve, with output down from 2023-24’s 6.11 million tonnes to 2024-25’s 5.5 million tonnes.
The government’s data shows that the barley acreage, too, has reduced to 1.4 million hectares from 1.68 million hectares, y-o-y. Yields, however, have upped to 3.93 tonnes a hectare versus 2023’s 3.64 tonnes a hectare.
Black Sea Trade
Production aside, Ukraine is now focusing on export momentum amid Russia’s threat in the Black Sea shipping route.
1 year on since the collapse of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Ukraine has managed to oversee 2,300 shipping vessels.
Over the past 12 months, Ukraine’s exports have hit 64 million tonnes, with grains representing 69% of all shipments.
In short, through war and last minute drought, the grain harvest in Ukraine has culminated with surging exports. To learn more about grain production in the eastern European country, read on in the statistics section below.
Ukraine Grain Production Statistics
Ukraine is a country in eastern Europe that conducts some of its agricultural trade via the Black Sea. It is among the biggest producers of corn and wheat worldwide, among other grains such as buckwheat and millet. The country ranked fourth globally for corn exports worth $5 billion in 2023, and fifth for wheat exports in 2021.
What is the yearly output of wheat in Ukraine?
According to FAOSTAT, Ukraine produced 20,729,240 tonnes of wheat from 5,281,500 hectares in 2022. This would increase in 2023 to 22,970,000 tonnes, according to governmental data. The acreage total would however decrease in 2023 to 5,000,000 hectares, and further in 2024 to 4,485,000 hectares.
How much barley does Ukraine produce annually?
Barley production in Ukraine totaled 5,608,170 tonnes in 2022, per FAOSTAT data. This came from some 1,740,200 hectares. The 2022 output would increase to 6,110,000 tonnes in 2023 but fall to 5,500,000 tonnes in 2024. Acreage would also reduce to 1,680,000 hectares in 2023 and further to 1,400,000 hectares in 2024.
What is Ukraine’s total maize, millet and buckwheat production per year?
Ukraine produced 26,186,930 tonnes of maize or corn in 2022, the highest of any grain, according to FAOSTAT. The total area of maize in 2022 was at 4,124,500 hectares. Millet production totaled 90,880 tonnes in 2022, less than the buckwheat total at 147,690 tonnes.