Ukraine's spring crop harvests remained slower than a year earlier, while sunflower seed and soybean harvests made good progress this week.
Ukraine's corn harvesting remained slow as of 14 September, preliminary agriculture ministry data show, with just 34,820 hectares (ha) cut, about 1pc of the forecast area, despite favourable weather. Farmers have been slow to start harvesting as a result of limited port operations and storage capacity with old crops.
The country's average corn yields rose to 4.82 t/ha in the week ending 14 September from 3.59 t/ha a week earlier and 3.55 t/ha a year earlier. The Poltava region is showing good early yields, matching Argus' virtual corn crop tour, with better conditions reported.
Oilseed harvests advanced well on the week thanks to limited rains, with soybeans showing the biggest weekly progress. Both sunflower seed and soybean crops showed better initial yields because summer rains boosted soil moisture and temperatures stayed moderate during growth periods, unlike last season when sunflower was hit by drought. That said, production and yield figures are not yet representative for both oilseed crops.
The soybean harvest in Ukraine started a week later this year than last. Farmers have cut 167,510ha, 11pc of the forecast area, as of 14 September. Ukraine's average soybean yields rose to 1.94 t/ha from 1.76 t/ha last week and 1.73 t/ha at the same point last year.
Ukraine's sunflower harvest pace has lagged the past five seasons, starting two weeks later than the past two seasons. But the country's initial average sunflower yields have surged sharply above last year's drought-hit campaign, reaching 1.91 t/ha as of 14 September from 1.79 t/ha on average in 2025-26. Good soil moisture supported the yields. Major producing regions Kirovograd, Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava made the biggest progress in sunflower seed harvests.
The US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Wasde report in September left Ukraine's sunflower seed, soybean and corn crop forecasts unchanged at 13mn t, 5mn t and 31.8mn t, respectively, leaving its corn outlook less optimistic than Argus' forecast of 32.1mn t for 2026-27.
Winter crop harvests are almost complete, with only small wheat areas left. The ministry confirmed record wheat yields at 4.94 t/ha, leading to a total wheat output at 24.92mn t from 5,04mn ha, or 98pc of the forecast. Ukraine has finished its barley and rapeseed harvests, with barley yields at a record 4.34 t/ha and rapeseed output at 3.83mn t.
The agriculture ministry's preliminary data will be confirmed by the State Statistics Service in later reports.
