The yield potential for the 2025-26 wheat harvest in central and western Ukraine is above average and in line with last year's results, based on observations made on the third day of the Argus virtual crop tour.
Conditions have been more favourable for wheat development in the western regions of Vinnytsia and Khmelnytskyi compared with the eastern and southern regions. Conditions for wheat development in Kyiv and Cherkasy — difficult at the start of the season — have recently improved thanks to the sufficient rains in May. So, the yield prospects for the central and western regions are 8-17pc higher than the five-year average, according to Argus estimates.
Local farmers report that the wheat development stage varies from medium milk to early dough for the western regions, where fields are green, and dough for the centre. The harvest, accordingly, would begin in the west from 10 July, which is later than last year, when it started earlier than usual.
In the centre, the harvest would start within the usual timeframe but could be delayed, in some places, by the late harvest of rapeseed. Winter rapeseed was sown late because of weather problems and had a delay in development, as a result delaying the harvests of barley and winter wheat.
