News
15.09.2012
Growth in corn and soybeans yields in Ukraine 2 times higher than in USA, Brazil and Argentina
Productivity growth in the agricultural sector in Ukraine in the last 10 years is much higher than in its main competitors in the global market. Thus, according to the calculations of the Association "Ukrainian Agribusiness Club" (UCAB), based on data by FAO, since 2000, the yield of corn in Ukraine has been increasing annually by 2.3 c/ha, while in the leading exporting countries of this crop - U.S., Brazil and Argentina - the growth of corn yield varies within 0,8-1,4 c/ha.
Last year the yield of corn in Ukraine was 64.4 c/ha, whereas in 2000 it was at the level of 30.1 c/ha, i.e. more than a half less. In addition, soybean yields also demonstrate steady growth: since 2000, the annual growth in Ukraine is 0.68 c/ha, while in the U.S. - 0.33 c/ha.
According to the experts of UCAB, the main reason for this increase is a substantial improvement of technology for growing corn and soybeans, as well as the introduction of innovative practices in agriculture. "Substantial increase in the efficiency of production of these crops was the main pre-condition for increase in the area for corn and soybeans growing in Ukraine in recent years, and is the crucial factor of competitiveness of Ukrainian agricultural products on the global food market" - President of UCAB Alex Lissitsa said. The expert also emphasized on the role of scaling in Ukrainian agriculture, in particular, the involvement of large agricultural companies in the process of improving the efficiency and implementation of innovations in agricultural production, "Large agricultural companies are the first ones who test foreign and domestic know-how in agriculture. They are the first, who adapted to Ukrainian conditions no-till technology, GPS-navigation, precision farming, liquid fertilization and many more. They first reach record high yields. Large companies, of course, are the drivers of progress of agriculture in Ukraine."
President of the Association "Ukrainian Agribusiness Club" Alex Lissitsa believes that while all our competitors have almost already reached the maximum efficiency in production of major crops, Ukraine has a huge potential for growth. In particular, even if productivity growth in the sector will remain at 5% per year, Ukraine will be able in the coming years to make a break from Argentina and Brazil and occupy the second place after the U.S. in export of corn - about 30 million tons annually. Full analysis of growth in productivity and efficiency of Ukrainian agriculture in comparison with major competitors will be presented during the III International Conference "Efficient Large Farm Management: Improving the Efficiency and Productivity", which will be held on September 19, in Kyiv.
More information about conference read here
