Ukraine’s winter planting campaign gained momentum last week, though persistent dryness continued to stall progress in the south.

As of 29 September, farmers had seeded 1.44 MHA of winter wheat, or 30.1% of the plan — a 16-point weekly advance but still trailing last year’s 1.67 MHA. Strong progress was reported in Dnipro, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, and Kharkiv regions, while Odesa — the country’s largest wheat grower — remains at an early stage as drought prevents fieldwork.

Winter barley planting reached 97.2 KHA, or 16.9% of the target, up 10.4 points on the week but well behind last year’s 119.4 KHA. Again, Odesa showed no progress due to dry soils.

Rapeseed continues to lead the campaign, with 941.1 KHA seeded (84.5% of the plan), slightly above last year’s 932.9 KHA. Many regions have already finished or exceeded their targets, though soil moisture deficits persist in the south and southeast.

Upcoming weeks will be decisive, with the sowing window narrowing and forecasts pointing to continued dryness in the south and southeast.