Crimean farmers are unable to sell their record grain harvest
Crimean farmers harvested a grain crop this year that was close to a record high, but there is virtually no one to buy the grain they’ve grown. About 1.5 million metric tons of grain remain on the peninsula due to logistical problems and high transportation costs.
According to local farmers, shipping grain through the Black Sea and Azov ports has become practically impossible. Transporting it to the Baltic Sea is also economically unfeasible and dangerous. As a result, farmers expect that a significant portion of the harvest will remain in Crimea.
One female farmer from the Simferopol district said that the cost of producing a metric ton of wheat on her farm was about $175. At the same time, she is currently being offered only about 7.5 cents per kilogram. Under these conditions, farmers are forced to sell their grain, as they will soon need to purchase seeds for winter crops.
Another farmer from the Dzhankoy district decided not to harvest his barley at all. According to him, the grain was ready as early as July, but due to the extremely high cost of fuel, he feared that the harvesting costs would not be recouped.
“I didn’t take the risk—and I don’t regret it. When I started calculating how much that crop would cost me, I realized that it would be more profitable to let it go to waste now than to spend my last money on diesel—only to lose it anyway. At least I have something left in my heart,” the farmer said.
Representatives of the occupying authorities also acknowledge the problem. The so-called “Minister of Agriculture” of Crimea, Denis Kratyuk, stated that the amount of grain produced far exceeds what the peninsula can consume. At the same time, he did not promise any specific assistance to farmers, stating only that forms of support “will definitely be provided.”
Against the backdrop of a grain surplus, bread prices in Crimea continue to rise. A loaf that cost about $0.60 in the winter now sells for approximately $0.75. In private bakeries, the price increase is even more pronounced due to the fuel crisis. Even subsidized bread varieties have become more expensive—rising from about $0.40 to $0.49.
Meanwhile, Crimean farmers are preparing for the grape harvest. Table grapes are already ripe, while wine grapes—which make up the majority on the peninsula—are ripening. However, farmers still need to decide the key question: whether it makes economic sense to harvest the crop.
Source: Cemaat Media (Elmaz Enverova)
Earlier in occupied Crimea, a local woman was fined 30,000 rubles for a sympathetic comment regarding the death of a Ukrainian serviceman.
Earlier, the Russian occupation authorities sentenced a 24-year-old resident of the Donetsk region to 14 years in a strict-regime penal colony for allegedly passing information to Ukrainian intelligence about the deployment of Russian troops in the Donetsk region.
