Smarter News Now
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact Us
  • Email Whitelisting
No Result
View All Result
  • Top News
  • Economy News
  • Forex News
  • Investing News
  • Stock News
  • Politics News
  • Editor’s Pick
  • Top News
  • Economy News
  • Forex News
  • Investing News
  • Stock News
  • Politics News
  • Editor’s Pick
No Result
View All Result
Smarter News Now
No Result
View All Result
Home Investing News

Ukraine’s farmers fear war-time harvest ‘hell’

by
June 14, 2022
in Investing News
0
Ukraine’s farmers fear war-time harvest ‘hell’
0
SHARES
15
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
An ear of wheat is seen in a field near the village of Hrebeni in Kyiv region, Ukraine July 17, 2020. — REUTERS/VALENTYN OGIRENKO

MYKOLAIV, Ukraine — As 10-meter-high mounds of sunflower meal smolder among the blackened ruins of one of Ukraine’s top agricultural terminals, farmers in this front-line region are scrambling to survive a harvest under Russian fire.

They see Russia’s shelling of the Nika-Tera port facility in the southern city of Mykolaiv on June 4 as just the most dramatic example of a wider assault on a pillar of Ukraine’s economy — and the world’s.

“Agriculture is one of the few business sectors that is working… Of course, they want to destroy it. They want to end this stream of income into the country,” farmer Volodymyr Onyschuk said near a pile of Russian shell casings on his 2,000-hectare wheat and sunflower holding near Mykolaiv.

Crops will be vulnerable to fire caused by shelling, he said, and that could be “hell” for farmers when the harvest season begins in coming weeks.

Asked how Mykolaiv farmers planned to reduce exposure to Russian actions, he said: “Let us just survive until the next harvest.”

Since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, the world’s fourth largest grains exporter, Kyiv has repeatedly accused Russia of attacking infrastructure and agriculture to provoke a global food crisis and pressure the West.

Moscow, which calls its war a special military operation, blames Western sanctions and sea mines laid by Ukraine for the drop in food exports and rising global prices.

PORT ATTACKFive shells hit a cluster of warehouses and grain conveyer belts at the Nika-Tera plant, rendering one of Ukraine’s largest agricultural terminals unable to load or unload ships, local officials said.

The blasts triggered an intense fire in sunflower meal stores. These were still smoldering during a brief press tour on Sunday. Separate grain elevators on the site were untouched.

“They are trying to undermine food security worldwide,” said Georgy Reshetilov, First Deputy Head of the Mykolaiv military regional administration.

The region’s agricultural facilities have suffered an estimated 34 billion-hryvnia ($1.16 billion) worth of losses, he said. Sites include a large producer of tomato pulp and a large number of farms.

Shelling is feeding fear across a sector already hamstrung by Russia’s blockade of the Black Sea, the primary route for Ukraine’s vast agricultural exports.

Combine harvester operators are leery of bringing their equipment to the region, fearing shelling along and possible mines and munitions in the fields, farmers said.

Some grain traders are reluctant to even buy stocks from farmers, fearing they will bear responsibility if their storage facilities are subsequently attacked.

“Nobody can guarantee the safety of this harvest in a time of war,” said Reshetilov.

Supplies of fertilizer are running low, and without buyers for grain exports, farmers said they could struggle to raise funds to buy more supplies, even if they were available.

“Fuel has gone up. Fertilizer prices are insane. I don’t know how we are going to work next year,” said Valentyn Matviyenko, who runs a farm near Bashtanka, around 60 kilometers northeast of Mykolaiv city where some land is within range of Russian artillery.

Some traders are offering wheat prices that were one-third of pre-war highs, he said.

“Our financial resources are dwindling. We’ve put everything into this harvest,” he said.

SEA BLOCKADEFew in the region hold out hope that diplomatic efforts will unblock the Black Sea. They said a few convoys of ships would not even dent the volumes that need to be exported, and it is not economical to send the same grain by road.

Additional grain storage in and around Mykolaiv has been ruled out due to the risk of shelling, Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych told Reuters. Instead, the focus is on building facilities closer to the Romanian border where river transport is an option.

The regional administration said it is looking at municipal and communal rather than private storage. The national government, meanwhile, is seeking to simplify export procedures and is offering farmers interest-free loans.

Some are sceptical of state intervention: “The best help of the government is not to do anything … business will find a way to export the grain,” Mayor Senkevych said.

After spraying fertilizer on a field of young sunflowers, tractor driver Vasyl Boyko, 38, said he does not believe a solution will be found unless Ukraine pushes back Russian forces and the West opens trade corridors in the Black Sea.

“We don’t need words, we need weapons,” he said. — Reuters

ShareTweetPin

Related Posts

Stocks decline on profit taking, recession fears
Investing News

Stocks decline on profit taking, recession fears

August 23, 2022
Peso climbs vs dollar as RTB offer starts
Investing News

Peso climbs vs dollar as RTB offer starts

August 23, 2022
PNR cancels bids for 3 projects after finding them ‘non-feasible’
Investing News

PNR cancels bids for 3 projects after finding them ‘non-feasible’

August 23, 2022
Senate grills Rodriguez on approval procedures for sugar import order
Investing News

Senate grills Rodriguez on approval procedures for sugar import order

August 23, 2022
Trade dep’t expecting sugar price monitoring report by Friday
Investing News

Trade dep’t expecting sugar price monitoring report by Friday

August 23, 2022
Fisherfolk seek halt to reclamation on municipal fisheries
Investing News

Fisherfolk seek halt to reclamation on municipal fisheries

August 23, 2022
Next Post
The truth defense in defamation

The truth defense in defamation

Get the daily email that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Stay informed and entertained, for free.
Email Address *
Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!
 

Recommended

Royal Mail managers vote to strike over jobs dispute

Royal Mail managers vote to strike over jobs dispute

June 30, 2022
MGB says nickel mining in Davao Oriental outside protected area, not an open-pit mine 

MGB says nickel mining in Davao Oriental outside protected area, not an open-pit mine 

June 1, 2022
DoT’s Frasco signals major push to highlight neglected destinations

DoT’s Frasco signals major push to highlight neglected destinations

July 4, 2022
What is Assisted Living for Seniors? 

What is Assisted Living for Seniors? 

June 16, 2022
‘Compelled by circumstances’: Some banks forecast 75-bp Fed hike

‘Compelled by circumstances’: Some banks forecast 75-bp Fed hike

June 13, 2022
US House passes ocean shipping bill to allay export backlogs

US House passes ocean shipping bill to allay export backlogs

June 14, 2022
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact Us
  • Email Whitelisting

Copyright © 2022 SmarterNewsNow.
All Rights Reserved.

Disclaimer: SmarterNewsNow.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice.
The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

No Result
View All Result
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Email Whitelisting
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Thank You

Copyright © 2020 SmarterNewsNow. All Rights Reserved.