Miller Magazine Issue:114 June 2019

UKRAINE 87 JUNE 2019 raine with their share in total seeded grain acreage being at more than 90%. Over the past five years the cropping pattern has changed considerably, currently showing the reduction of barley, rye and niche crops acreage in favor of corn. Given the relatively steady planted area of grain, its harvest has increased significantly mainly due to growth of productivity over the last 5 years. Large holdings and medium-sized farming enterprises have increased implementation of modern cultivation tech- nologies in grain production with use of high-yielding varieties of foreign and Ukrainian selection. WHEAT Over the last ten years, the average planted area of wheat in Ukraine was about 6.7 million ha. At the same time production ranged between 14.2 – 26.5 MMT. The average yield (productivity) of wheat depends mostly on weather. The lowest pro- duction was in 2012, the highest – in 2015. Farmers grow wheat in all regions of Ukraine. Howe- ver, the largest acreage is located in the south-eastern and central regions of the country. Qualities of wheat change from year to year. The share of milling wheat was the lowest in harvest 2011 (40%), while the maximum level was observed in 2012 (83%). However, even in years of crop failure there is enough milling wheat to meet the domestic consumption, which is estimated at level of 4.2-4.5 MMT. FOOD USE A strong downward trend is seen in food use of grain. For instance, consumption of milling wheat has plummeted from 6 MMT to 4.2 MMT over the last