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Accounts of Ukraine’s planting disruptions remain varied
Ukrainian officials are preparing for significant spring planting disruptions as the conflict with Russia continues.
Deputy minister Taras Dzoba says even if the war stopped tomorrow, broken supply chains, labor displacement, and damage from attacks have already made an impact.
“The exact numbers are still to be discovered and be calculated, and the effect of it, but definitely this will spill over to other countries and affect their economies,” he says.
University of Illinois ag economist Scott Irwin tells Brownfield he’s following grain markets for indications of what’s happening in Ukraine.
“It looks now like the conflict is just reaching a stalemate phase and not going to end very quickly, and that’s kind of pushing grain prices back up,” he says.
APK-Inform, an ag consultant in Ukraine, forecasts nearly a 40 percent decline to spring crops, while Dzoba says it could be significantly higher.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister says the country is banning or restricting some exports to lessen food shortages domestically. The government is also planning to support farmers with spring planting efforts by calling for critical imports of ag equipment, parts, fertilizer, and more.
