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Ukrainian winter wheat crops are in good condition and the country will have enough bread this year, Deputy Agriculture Minister Taras Dzoba said late on Wednesday.
Ukraine is among the world's leading producers and exporters of grain and Ukrainian analysts have said the 2022 grain harvest could fall sharply due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine which caused a reduction in sowing area.
"As for the new crop - winter crops are indeed in good condition throughout the country. And, despite the difficulties in which field work has to be carried out, Ukraine will have bread," Dzoba said in a statement.
"Of course, the export potential is significantly undermined by this war, which will lead to higher prices," he added.
APK-Inform agriculture consultancy said this week the area sown with Ukraine's 2022 spring grain crops could fall 39% to 4.7 million hectares due to Russia's military invasion.
The country, which harvested a record 86 million tonnes of grain in 2021, sowed 7.7 million hectares of spring grains last year.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last week the country must sow as many crops as possible this spring.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Michael Perry)