Ukraine Faces Drought-Related Sowing Delays Amid Sunoil Production Decline

About 30 percent of Ukraine's farmland is facing moisture shortages due to unfavorable weather conditions, delaying the start of winter sowing, according to Taras Vysotskyi, the country's agriculture minister.

Winter wheat accounts for more than 95 percent of Ukraine's total wheat harvest and is traditionally sown in autumn for harvesting in the summer of the following year. As of September 16, farmers had sown only 3.2 percent of the expected area, with a total of 145,300 hectares planted.

Ukraine has often faced drought in August and September, but farmers continue to sow winter crops in hopes that a warm, rainy autumn will offset the moisture deficit and allow plants to develop sufficiently before winter.

The country's sunflower oil production totaled 4.3 million tons in the 2025/26 season, with exports of 4.0 million tons. Analysts predict that the 2026 sunseed crop will be at 13.6 million tons, allowing for production of 5.7 million tons of sunflower oil and exports of 5.3 million tons.