Record Heatwave Threatens Ukraine’s 2024 Corn Harvest

A record heatwave in July across most Ukrainian regions is expected to reduce the 2024 corn harvest by approximately 6 million metric tons from the previous year, according to the Ukrainian Agrarian Council. Analysts note that while temperatures have slightly decreased, conditions remain largely unfavorable for crop yields.

A record heatwave in July across most Ukrainian regions may reduce the 2024 corn harvest by about 6 million metric tons from last year's level, the Ukrainian Agrarian Council (UAC) has warned.

The UAC's prediction aligns with last week's forecast by the Ukrainian grain traders union UGA, which estimated a 2024 corn harvest of 23.4 million tons, down from 29.6 million in 2023. Denys Marchuk, deputy head of the UAC, stated that in many regions, the corn yield might fall by around 30% due to adverse weather, though the government holds a less pessimistic outlook. The acting farm minister suggested last month that late crop yields could drop up to 15% in most regions.

Analyst group APK-Inform reported on Monday that temperatures decreased slightly in the last days of July, but overall conditions remained unfavorable. The agency cited Ukrainian state weather forecasters, who said the combination of prolonged high air and soil temperatures and a lack of precipitation led to intensified drought conditions.

Forecasters noted that the drought has negatively impacted the growth and development of late crops. In southern, central, and eastern regions, crops like corn, sunflower, buckwheat, and soybean exhibited premature drying of leaves, twisting of upper-tier leaves, and in some instances, complete drying or death of plants.