The area under niche crops in Ukraine decreased by 100 thsd hectares

Today, the production of niche crops is 213 thousand tons, and the harvested area is 71 thousand hectares. This is 100 thousand hectares less than before the full-scale war.

This was stated by Andrii Bilenkyi, an independent agricultural market analyst, at the Grain and Processing: Development Despite the War – 2024 forum.

Rye is mostly consumed on the domestic market. Due to the hostilities, its consumption decreased by about 19-20%. Ukraine produces just under half a million tons of oats. As of 2024, Ukraine is increasing buckwheat production and consumption. The sown area reaches 88 thousand hectares, and the production level is 124 thousand tons. The area under millet is concentrated in the south, but it is there that crop losses occurred – in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk regions. At the same time, the crop has been grown in central Ukraine, and the area and production volumes have not changed. Only 20% of peas are consumed on the domestic market, and the bulk is exported.

“Most of the area under peas in Ukraine was concentrated in the south, with 2-3 regions providing 40% of the harvest. And it was in these regions that we suffered heavy losses (Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions). Thus, in the first year of the war, the area under peas halved. However, we restored the area in Odesa and Mykolaiv regions. It was here that we managed to increase 52 thousand hectares (almost 25% of the total area) and reach the production of about half a million tons of peas,” explains Andrii Bilenkyi.

He adds that rye, oats, and buckwheat are almost entirely focused on domestic consumption, so there is no way to increase production dramatically. Millet and peas, on the other hand, have a larger share of exports, and this allows us to be optimistic about their future.

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Tags: Ukraine, Buckwheat, oats, pea