Title: Ukraine Anticipates Increase in Winter Wheat Production

The Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture announced today, Tuesday, that the area of land planted with winter wheat for 2024 is expected to increase to 4.3 million hectares from 4.1 million hectares in 2023. The ministry added in a statement that farmers have already begun planting winter wheat. Ukraine is a traditional producer of winter wheat, which accounts for at least 95 percent of total wheat production. The ministry also reported that farmers may plant 683,900 hectares of winter barley and 1.19 million hectares of winter rapeseed. Ukraine is a major grain producer, but the collapse of an agreement that allowed for the safe export of its products through its Black Sea ports in July has led to speculation that farmers might plant less wheat due to shrinking profit margins caused by more expensive export methods.