According to the minister, Ukrainian agricultural producers seek to sow four million hectares (9.9 million acres) of wheat, which is 20% less compared to the five million hectares that were sown in 2021.
"As for barley, 800,000 hectares were sown last year, and this year our forecast is up to 500,000 hectares. This means a drop of at least 30%," Solskyi was quoted as saying by the Strana.ua news website.
The high cost of nitrogen fertilizers, expensive logistics and weather drove farmers to reduce sown areas, the minister noted.