Seeds

WHEAT and BARLEY.  On the market for wheat and barley we can observe trend to strengthen the position of European companies. These enterprises have been active in promoting their wheat and barley varieties, which are in greatest demand in the western regions of Ukraine. Although the share of imported varieties is negligible, Ukrainian farmers mostly import elite seeds, which are subsequently breed and sown for industrial production. Imports of wheat seeds increased by 27% and barley by 49% in the 2016/2017 marketing season compared with the previous one. But at the same time, import volumes remain insignificant due to their high cost for Ukrainian farmers and lower stability during hibernation.

CORN. The corn seed market increased by 6% compared with 2016 due to the increase in the area under corn with 250 thousand hectares in 2017. In comparison with the previous year, the volume of imports of corn seeds also increased by 12%. In the future, it can be expected to reduce the volume of import supplies, which is due to increased capacity for the domestic production of corn seeds.

SUNFLOWER. The market for sunflower seeds remained at the level of the previous season, as the sown area of sown sunflower did not undergo significant changes in 2017. About 80% of the sunflower seed for sowing was imported in 2016 and 2017.

RAPESEED. The market for rapeseed for sowing increased by 73% compared with the previous season. The reason for the growth of the market for rapeseed was the expansion of sown areas under the crop.

SOYBEAN. The soybean market grew by 8%, due to the growing sown area under the culture in 2017.

Availability of imported and domestic seeds for the harvest in 2018

Demand

Import

Domestic production

Wheat

1 586,5

2,2

0,1%

1 584,3

99,9%

Barley

548,0

1,0

0,2%

546,9

99,8%

Soybean

240,3

1,6

0,7%

238,7

99,3%

Corn

91,6

35,8

39,1%

55,7

60,9%

Sunflower

30,6

24,0

80,8%

5,7

19,2%

Rapeseed

5,2

2,7

68,4%

1,2

31,6%

Source: State Statistics Service of Ukraine 

Source: State Statistics Service of Ukraine 

Source: State Statistics Service of Ukraine