Ukraine May Plant as Much as 5 Million Hectares With Corn
22.03.12

Ukraine may plant 4.5 million hectares (11.1 million acres) to 5 million hectares of corn this year after an autumn drought and winter frosts ruined almost half of winter grains, said Leonid Sukhomlyn, head of the grain department at the Agriculture Ministry.

That compares with 3.6 million hectares planted with corn last year, Sukhomlyn told. Farmers will probably double plantings of spring barley and spring wheat in comparison with last year, he said.

Winter grains will be harvested from between 5.5 million hectares and 6 million hectares, compared with 7.1 million hectares of winter grains sprouted before winter frosts, he said.

Bloomberg (www.bloomberg.com)