Ukraine

Potato Crop: Pigs Rejoice, Peasants Grieve
Kyiv Post, September 6, 1999

Many of Ukraine's poverty-stricken citizens depend on their vegetable plots to provide extra, cheap food during the winter. But the weather this year has not been kind. Nipped by frost early in the spring, and then baked by a long, hot summer, this year's potatoes are coming out of the ground pea-sized. The overall yield is down. According to Ukragroconsult, an independent agriculture sector consultancy, Ukraine's official potato crop in 1998 was 15.34 million tons. Although final figures for this year are not yet available, the company estimates farmers will bring in at most 13.8 million tons this year, and most likely a lot less. ... In the cities, the shorter supply of potatoes is already having an impact on prices in the markets. While last year a kilo of good-sized potatoes cost 60 kopeks (20 cents), today the cheapest are 90 kopeks a kilo (20 cents), and most are Hr 1.50 (33 cents) per kilo - a hefty rise, even taking into account the inflationary period this summer.

Bad Weather Threatens Ukraine 2000 Grain Crop
Reuters, Feb. 14, 2000

Agriculture Minister Ivan Kyrylenko told reporters at the weekend that hard-up Soviet-era collective farms were extremely vulnerable to changes in the weather, and even minor frosts or a drought might cut the crop significantly. ... "Unfortunately, our outlook for 2000 is not favourable." He did not give a revised crop forecast for the 1999/2000 season. The ministry said last month farms would be able to harvest 26 to 28 million tonnes of grain and might even reach 35 million tonnes if the weather was good. Ukraine harvested 24.37 million tonnes of grain last year, the lowest crop since 1945. "Our optimistic forecast is 24-26 million tonnes of grain this season, but we are ready to cut it at any moment," said Serhiy Feofilov, director of UkrAgroConsult agricultural consultancy. Officials, who blamed the meagre 1999 crop on bad weather, are now worried by a possible repeat of last year's troubles and weather experts share their concerns. ... Analysts and officials say a large area sown to winter crops had been already hit by bad weather and about 1.5 million hectares needed to be resown. Farmers sowed a total of 7.9 million hectares to winter crop last autumn.

Rainstorms in Ukraine Cut Power Across the Country
Associated Press, July 15, 2000

Heavy rainstorms and strong winds battered Ukraine over the past two days and left about 1,000 villages in eight Ukrainian regions without electricity, emergency officials said Saturday. Rainstorms severely damaged crops, flooded houses and caused several landslides in western Ukraine. Last week, rain and hail cut electricity supplies to more than 800 Ukrainian settlements, damaged thousands of houses and public buildings and destroyed crops in six western regions.