Ukraine starts sunflower and soybean harvests, reports first yield figures
Ukraine has started harvesting its 2026 sunflower and soybean crops. As of Aug. 31, sunflower was harvested from 9,200 hectares and soybeans from 5,140 hectares, according to Agriculture Ministry data.
The first sunflower harvest amounted to 10,860 tons, with an average yield of 1.18 tons per hectare at the start of the harvest.
Sunflower harvesting has so far begun in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. In Mykolaiv region, 8,900 hectares were harvested, yielding 10,500 tons at an average of 1.18 tons per hectare. In Kherson region, farmers harvested 300 hectares and collected 360 tons of sunflower, with a yield of 1.2 tons per hectare.
Soybean harvest so far stands at 8,290 tons, with the initial average yield at 1.61 tons per hectare.
Soybean harvesting has started in Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Poltava and Cherkasy regions. The highest initial yield was recorded in Kyiv region at 2.5 tons per hectare. Soybean yields averaged 1.63 tons per hectare in Poltava region, 1.07 tons per hectare in Cherkasy region and 1 ton per hectare in Mykolaiv region.
The start of harvesting of these oilseed crops comes as the harvest of early crops is nearing completion. Barley has been harvested from 100% of the projected area, while winter rapeseed has been harvested from 99%. Wheat harvesting is 98% complete.
Overall, grain and leguminous crops were harvested from 6.82 million hectares, or 58% of the projected area, as of Aug. 31. Growers harvested 31.94 million tons of grain, with an average yield of 4.68 tons per hectare.