Nothing grows: Abnormal heat will reduce Ukraine's grain harvest
Heat wave will reduce grain harvest in Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The abnormal heatwave gripping the Black Sea region is causing significant damage to two of Eastern Europe's largest grain producers, Ukraine and Romania. Crops are drying out due to the high temperatures, leading to rising electricity costs and increasing expenditures, according to Bloomberg.
As Romania faces temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, the government in Bucharest is seeking 500 million euros in compensation, partly from the European Union, for farmers this year, particularly those producing corn and sunflowers. Agriculture Minister Florin Barbu stated that the scale of the damage risks pushing companies into bankruptcy.
However, Ukraine, now in its third year of war, does not have such an option. Kernel Holding, an agricultural producer, reported that the heat is destroying part of the corn crops planted on 80,000 hectares. The Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center expects corn yields to decrease by 30% due to the heat.
“Nothing grows at all in these temperatures. No grain culture is fit to endure this heat safely,” said Tetiana Adamenko, head of the agricultural department of the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center, in an interview.
The drop in corn production could impact supplies and increase livestock feed costs across the continent, posing a broader risk to food security, including grain supplies to Africa.
In Ukraine, the heat is making life even more difficult. Daily tasks have become problematic, as diesel generators, which are notoriously fuel-hungry, provide electricity, including for air conditioning, notes Bloomberg.
Record-breaking heat in Ukraine
Unusually hot weather settled over Ukraine in the first half of July. In Kyiv, temperature records were broken for seven consecutive days, with a peak of 36 degrees Celsius. In the south, Mykolaiv reached a record high of 41.6 degrees.
While the heat has now subsided, meteorologists do not rule out another heatwave before the end of summer.
