Dust storms and frosts damage up to 4,000 ha of sugar beet crops in Ukraine — growers
Up to 4,000 hectares of sugar beet crops have been damaged in western regions of Ukraine by dust storms and frosts, SuperAgronom.com reports, citing an agricultural company that requested anonymity.
The affected areas include fields in Volyn, Lviv, Ternopil, and Chernivtsi regions. The main damage was caused by dust storms, while frosts further exacerbated the negative impact.
According to Mykola Suchek, Director of the Agrotechnical Department at PROPOLE, farmers had already faced a third wave of cold weather by the end of April. The first lasted from April 9 to 13, the second from April 20 to 22, and the third began on April 26.
He noted that rapeseed at the budding stage can withstand short-term temperature drops to -1–2°C, provided there is sufficient moisture. However, sharp temperature fluctuations can lead to stem cracking, increasing the risk of disease development. In this regard, farmers are advised to carry out fungicide and insecticide treatments.
Serhii Uvarov, Agricultural Technology Development Manager for the Western region at LNZ Group, said that weather conditions are affecting both the development of winter crops and the progress of the sowing campaign.
“In addition to the shift in sowing timelines, temperature fluctuations are also impacting further plant development. The growth and development of early-sown crops have stalled due to the cold, although no wind erosion of sugar beet crops has been observed,” he explained.
At the same time, assessments of sugar beet crop conditions vary. VITAGRO reported damage to about 30 hectares, but final decisions on reseeding have not yet been made.
What is happening with sugar beet crops in Ukraine
According to Yana Kavushevska, Chair of the Board of Ukrsugar, more than 3,000 hectares of sugar beet crops “blown out” by dust storms in western and southwestern regions will need to be reseeded. An additional estimated 15% of crops are at risk due to frosts.
The total area sown with sugar beet this year is officially reported at 197,200 hectares. However, Ukrsugar believes the figure will be lower — around 160,000 hectares. This would be the lowest level “at least since Ukrsugar was established in 1997, and likely earlier, as Ukraine sowed more than 1.5 million hectares in the 1980s–90s.”
Progress of the sugar beet sowing campaign
As of April 27, growers had sown 162,800 hectares of sugar beet (83% of the planned area). The sowing campaign has been completed in six regions: Khmelnytskyi (32,700 ha), Ternopil (16,100 ha), Rivne (14,600 ha), Volyn (9,000 ha), Zhytomyr (4,800 ha), and Chernivtsi (1,600 ha).