Sowing season 2025: how the agricultural sector keeps the economic front despite the war
21 March 18:02
The 2025 sowing campaign in Ukraine continues apace despite the difficult wartime conditions. As of mid-March, farmers have already started sowing spring crops in 19 regions, which indicates the readiness of the agricultural sector to adapt to new realities and ensure the country’s food security, Komersant ukrainskyi reports citing the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.
As of now, more than 450 thousand hectares of barley, more than 130 thousand hectares of spring wheat, as well as significant areas under oats and peas have been sown. At the same time, the company is preparing soils for sowing corn, soybeans and sunflower, which are traditional crops with high export potential in Ukraine.
The sowing season is most active in the southern and central regions of the country, including Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Dnipro, Vinnytsia and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. These regions traditionally have favorable climatic conditions for early sowing, as well as a relatively stable security situation.
Leading regions in terms of sowing rates
- Mykolaiv region: 43 thou hectares (wheat – 1.5 thou hectares, barley – 22.5 thou hectares, peas – 18.7 thou hectares, oats – 0.3 thou hectares).
- Ternopil region: 31.3 thou hectares (wheat – 6.4 thou hectares, barley – 21.3 thou hectares, peas – 2.1 thou hectares, oats – 1.5 thou hectares).
- Kirovograd region: 25.9 thou hectares (wheat – 0.9 thou hectares, barley – 14.5 thou hectares, peas – 10.5 thou hectares).
- Vinnytsia region: 24.1 thou hectares (wheat – 5.6 thou hectares, barley – 12.3 thou hectares, peas – 5.3 thou hectares, oats – 0.9 thou hectares).
- Rivne region: 15.2 thou hectares (wheat – 0.5 thou hectares, barley – 10.7 thou hectares, peas – 0.7 thou hectares, oats – 3.3 thou hectares).
Plans for the season
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, in 2025, the total area under crops will be more than 23 mln ha. Grain crops will occupy more than 11 mln ha (48.1% of the total planted area). It is planned to sow spring grains on 5.82 mln ha, in particular
- corn – 4.14 mln ha;
- spring barley – 790.2 thou hectares;
- spring wheat – 222.7 thou hectares;
- peas – 216.5 thou hectares;
- oats – 161.6 thou hectares;
- buckwheat – 86.8 thou hectares;
- millet – 85.5 thou hectares.
Winter grains have already been sown on the area of 5.24 mln ha. Oilseeds will be planted on 8.89 mln ha (38.7% of the total area), in particular
- sunflower – 5.17 mln ha;
- soybeans – 2.42 mln ha;
- winter and spring rapeseed – 1.16 mln ha.
Challenges and government support
Among the key challenges in the agricultural sector, experts note
- mining of agricultural land in the frontline areas;
- fuel shortage;
- shortage of labor;
- complicated logistics.
Climate challenges for Ukrainian farmers
In 2024, Ukraine faced a record-breaking drought, which led to low soil moisture during the fall sowing of winter crops. According to the state meteorological services, in August 2024, there was a shortage of precipitation and high temperatures, which led to soil and atmospheric drought in 60-70% of the territory, including southern, central, eastern and even western regions.
Despite these conditions, farmers are hoping for a wet and mild winter and a favorable spring to ensure a good harvest. As of September 2024, 27,700 hectares of winter wheat had been planted, which typically accounts for 95% of Ukraine’s total wheat production.
At the same time, the government is providing farmers with seed, compensating part of the costs of fertilizers, machinery and fuel, and launching new insurance and lending programs. Special attention is paid to microgrants and support for farmers.
International assistance
The sowing campaign is partially supported by Ukraine’s international partners. In particular, as part of World Bank, USAID, and FAO projects, farmers receive grant assistance, access to agricultural insurance programs, and advisory support to restore production in the de-occupied territories.
Importance for the economy
The agricultural sector remains one of the key drivers of the Ukrainian economy. In 2024, despite all the difficulties, agricultural exports reached more than $22 billion. The continuation of the sowing campaign in 2025 gives us hope that the high level of exports, foreign exchange earnings and jobs in rural areas will be maintained.
Yield forecasts
According to Taras Vysotsky, First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy, the wheat harvest in 2025 may increase to 25 million tons compared to 22 million tons in 2024, due to an increase in planted areas to 5 million hectares in 2025 compared to 4.6 million hectares in 2024.
