Ukraine's grain sowing campaign successful despite challenges: PM

KIEV, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine saw a successful grain sowing campaign despite the challenges caused by the conflict with Russia, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Wednesday.

"The government has taken all possible measures to successfully carry out the most difficult sowing campaign in history," Shmyhal said on Telegram.

Ukrainian farmers have planted grain on 75 percent of last year's sowed area, Shmyhal said, adding that the government has provided local grain producers with some 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in loans to carry out the sowing campaign.

About 23.5 million tons of grain and oilseeds from last year's harvest remain in Ukraine due to the blockade of seaports, Shmyhal said.

The prime minister said his government plans to set up mobile grain storage to increase the country's grain storage capabilities by 10-15 million tons.

In recent months, supplies of Ukrainian grain to the global market have been affected due to the Russian military's blockade of Ukrainian ports.

In 2021, Ukraine harvested a record crop of grain, legumes and oilseeds totaling more than 106 million tons.

In the first half of the current market year, which runs from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, Ukraine exported some 10 billion dollars worth of crops and oilseeds, up 56 percent annually, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported in late May, citing data from the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club.