Yields remain low as Ukraine’s corn harvest hits 89% complete

Ukraine’s 2020/21 corn harvest progressed seven percentage points over the week to November 24 and is now 89% complete with yields showing only limited improvement, data from the agriculture ministry showed Tuesday.

Ukrainian farmers have now harvested 25.2 million mt of corn from 4.8 million ha.

That puts average yields across the country at 5.3 mt/ha, down from 7.2 mt/ha last year, after a dry and hot summer led to losses, particularly in the south of the country.

The corn harvest is now around 89% complete, with the ministry expecting this year’s harvest to reach 33 million mt and the USDA 28.5 million mt.

The soybean harvest was up by 3 percentage points to 98% of the planned area, with 2.7 million mt in the bins from 1.3 million ha.

And winter grain planting is now 96% finished, with winter wheat sown on 6 million ha (98% of plan), barley on 933,400 ha (99%), and rapeseed on 875,000 ha (87%).