In Crimea, farmers are selling grain below cost
In the temporarily occupied Crimea, local farmers are facing the threat of losses due to falling grain prices. According to media reports, producers are forced to sell their harvest below cost.
According to the Crimean Ministry of Agriculture under the occupying authorities, the peninsula is expected to harvest over two million metric tons of grain this year, but demand has been low, and local grain elevators can only accept a portion of the harvest.
“We do not consume the amount of grain we produce ourselves—we have already accumulated a very significant surplus,” the ministry noted.
“After harvesting the crop and spending more resources on it than usual, agricultural enterprises have faced a new problem—their grain is not in demand among wholesale buyers. And those who are willing to buy the grain are offering a price below cost,” said one of the Crimean agronomists.
Oleg Zubkov, owner of the large agricultural enterprise “Zelenogorsk,” stated that the cost of production per kilogram of wheat this year is 12–15 rubles, while it can sometimes be sold for as little as 10 rubles.
“This year, the price of grain is completely inadequate. The cost of production for this grain is high, yet they aren’t even paying 6–8 rubles per kilogram of wheat,” lamented the owner of the agricultural enterprise on the occupied peninsula.
The situation is further complicated by a fuel shortage, logistics problems, and regular power outages, which bring grain elevators to a standstill.
The occupying authorities are promising farmers assistance with logistics financing, loan extensions, and adjustments to lease payments.
According to one Crimean farmer, due to the current situation, some farmers are already refusing to plant winter crops because they see no economic benefit in doing so.
“Those farmers who chose not to harvest their fields due to high fuel prices and logistics problems—and there are quite a few of them—are now spared additional expenses. But those of us who harvested our crops and went into debt are now struggling, not knowing what to do next,” said another farmer.
Source: Krym.Realii
As a reminder, on the night of August 16, the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck a number of key military facilities belonging to Russian troops in the temporarily occupied territories.
On the night of August 17, the Ukrainian military struck targets related to the storage, preparation, and launch of attack drones, as well as their control systems in Crimea and the Kherson region.
