Winter Crop Losses Reported in Ukraine

KIEV - Feb 3/03 - APK -- Parts of the Ukraine are reporting significant winter crop losses on account of long lasting frosts.

According to Governor of Zhytomir region Mykola Rudchenko, around 70,000 hectares, or 40% of winter crops, have been killed in this region (west of Kiev) by long-lasting frosts.

Agriculture specialists are worried by the new cold snap. According to their estimates, if the temperature in the nearest one or two weeks drops by at least another 5 degrees, the area of the frozen-out plantings will reach a catastrophic scale -- even the most frost-resistant crops will give up, news agency "Obozrevatel'" has reported.

Farmers in the region are now in search of large quantities of seeds to make compensatory seeding, and in many farms - to completely re-seed the killed winter crops.

An estimated 53,000 hectares of winter crops, or around 10% of total sown area, have been lost because of strong frosts in Crimea, press-service of the Crimean government has informed.

Razdolnoye agricultural district (in north-western part of the peninsula) has suffered particularly. Winter crops have been killed here almost completely.

Direct losses of Crimean agrarians are estimated to constitute 20 million hryvnias ($3.75 million); total damage from forthcoming cut in crop will be 70 million hryvnias ($13.13 million).

Crimean agricultural authorities have asked for financial aid from reserve fund of Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers to compensate for emergency circumstances.

Copyright APK-Inform -- http://www.agrimarket.info

The subscriber version of the article is available by Clicking here