Compared with 2013, in Ukraine by 2018 acreage under soybean may increase by 46% — to 2 million hectares, while gross yield will grow by 43%, to 4 million tons. This was announced by the president of Ukrainian Association of Soybean Producers and Processors, Mr. Viktor Timcenko, per UNIAN.
In 2014, according to Mr. Timcenko, domestic farmers will sow soybeans on an area of 1.65 million hectares, which is 20.4% more than a year earlier. According to the preliminary information, due to increasing sowing area under the soybean, its harvest will increase to 3-3.2 million tons, from 2.8 million tons in 2013.
Taking that, the President of the Association has also mentioned that there is constantly growing interest among Ukrainian farmers in growing soybeans. In the past 10 years number of enterprises engaged in production of soybean increased by more than 3 times- to 7.7 thousand in 2013, and from 2.3 thousand in 2003.
As for soybean processing capacity, according to the President of the Association, Ukraine has them in sufficient quantities.
“As of today we can easily process 1.5 million tons of soybeans on the factories that are exclusive to processing soybeans. Yet, if we will include factories that process sunflower as well- we can do about 2-2.5 million tons of soy”, — according to Mr. Timcenko.
In 2013, according to him, Ukraine has processed 0.8 million tons of soybeans.
In Ukraine during 2013, According to the State Statistics Service, soybean yield has increased by 14.6% compared with 2012- to 2.8 million tons. Last year’s sowing area under this crop decreased by 4.4% — to 2.8 million hectares.