Sowing of winter crops will not take place in the front-line communities of Donetsk region

Farmers in Donetsk region began sowing winter crops for the 2025 harvest, but in the frontline communities of the region, they decided to postpone this process until the spring sowing campaign. This was reported by the deputy head of the regional department of the agro-industrial complex, Olena Rybakova, noting that the risks associated with sowing are significant, especially in conditions of instability at the front.

She emphasized that in the front-line communities, where the situation remains tense, autumn sowing of winter crops will not take place. Farmers are waiting for spring to decide whether to plant spring crops, depending on the security situation. "If winter crops are sown now, farmers will worry about their fate until July next year. Instead, after sowing sunflower, it will be possible to harvest it already in September," added Rybakova.

According to her, the total area of ​​crops in Donetsk region is 310 thousand hectares. As of today, early grain crops have been harvested on 137,000 hectares, and the gross harvest is 287,000 tons. The average yield this year is 2.09 tons per hectare, which is lower than in previous years.

Olena Rybakova explained that the low yield is due to negative weather conditions: "First there were frosts in May, and then there was a drought, which affected the harvest." This shows the complexity of the agricultural season for local farmers who face various challenges.

In addition, harvesting of late grain and industrial crops has already begun in the region. Sunflowers were harvested on an area of ​​45,000 hectares, corn on 8,000 hectares, and vegetable crops on 5,000 hectares. These data indicate the activity of farmers, despite the challenges they face.

So, the situation with crops in Donetsk remains difficult, but farmers hope for better next year. For now, they are focusing on security and planning for the spring planting campaign, hoping for positive changes in the region.