Dry weather, bordering on drought, will push Ukraine’s grain harvest down by 20% this year, from last year’s record 75 million tons

Dry weather, bordering on drought, will push Ukraine’s grain harvest down by 20% this year, from last year’s record 75 million tons, predicts the Ministry of Economic Development of Trade and Agriculture. “Due to moisture deficit and economic factors caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, farmers will collect 60 million tons of grain and leguminous crops,” the Ministry says in a statement. Despite the dry land, about half of spring sowing of corn and sunflower are complete. In the second half of March, sales of seeds and fertilizers were stopped as part of the government’s effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus.