Drought in Ukraine threatens wheat crops for next year's crop, adding new challenges to farmers already affected by weather and war. Bloomberg reports that while farmers still have time to improve conditions and catch up, the problems could shorten the planting period for winter crops, which make up most of the annual production.
Although wheat prices are currently well below their peaks since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, they have risen in recent weeks partly due to supply problems across the Black Sea. The volume of wheat production in Ukraine has decreased by about a third from the pre-war level due to the loss of land as a result of the invasion.
Sown areas in Ukraine decreased by about half compared to last year. The heat and drought have left some fields too dry for crops like canola. The US Department of Agriculture notes that temperatures 7℃ higher than normal in Ukraine in the second week of September "intensified the drought" for winter crops.
The difficult situation for farmers is complicated by weather conditions and war. The regions currently occupied by Moscow have been significant producers of agricultural products, while farmers in other regions of Ukraine face problems due to mine-contaminated land and labor shortages due to mobilization.
This week's rains could slightly improve soil moisture for Black Sea wheat, forecasters said, but much more rainfall is needed to ease drought fears for much improvement. However, farmers still have until October or November to catch up if the weather improves.
