Grain is transported through Crimea: how Kherson farmers trade with Russia

- At the end of May, the Kherson region began to supply grain to Russia.

Which Russian regions buy products from Kherson farmers and what products are in demand?

- Interest is primarily shown by representatives of the Republic of Crimea and the Krasnodar Territory.

Purchase as the crop matures.

Buyers are mainly interested in barley and wheat.

We are also negotiating the start of supplies to Russia of sunflower seeds for the production of sunflower oil - we have a lot of these products.

But while the seeds have not grown, so the deliveries themselves have not yet been.

- What is the expected harvest this year throughout the Kherson region?

“We are not yet ready to predict what crop will be harvested this season.

I can only say that on average the Kherson region grows 2.5 million tons of grain, about 2 million tons of vegetables and melons per year.

These are very large volumes.

Part of the grown products will remain in the region - for the next sowing campaign and to ensure food security in the region itself.

The rest of the farmers will send for export.

- Does the military-civilian administration now regulate pricing in the market, or do farmers themselves negotiate prices with buyers?

— 99% of farms in the region are privately owned.

That is, farmers themselves trade their products through trading companies.

It turns out that the market itself forms prices for all goods.

Roughly speaking, as buyers and sellers agree among themselves, so be it. 

Trade with Russian buyers is carried out immediately in rubles.

The authorities of the Kherson region have not yet interfered in these processes. 

- In June, a video of a woman who introduced herself as a farmer from the Kherson region appeared on social networks.

In the footage, she throws boxes of fresh cabbage into a landfill in a field.

According to the author of the video, she and other farmers were forced to get rid of the goods because they cannot be sold: there are no wholesale buyers from Ukraine in the region, and demand from Russia is now very small.

Is it really difficult for local farmers to sell their products due to lack of demand?

- Some farmers have such difficulty with the sale, because now the market is oversaturated.

But most of the farmers who want to sell their product successfully sell it.

There are isolated cases when people do not have time to sell part of the products, especially perishable ones.

– It is interesting that similar videos appeared on social networks last summer, in which farmers stated that they were forced to throw out cucumbers and cherries because wholesalers did not buy products.

What was it about then?

After all, last year there were no military actions in the region.

Yes, markets were closed last year due to the pandemic.

These sales and demand issues occur regularly.

Farmers plant and grow one amount of produce they plan to sell, and end up selling less than expected.

- At the end of May, it became known that the Ukrainian military had mined the only exit from the port of Kherson to the Black Sea.

Because of this, it became impossible to ship grain from the region in the usual way.

Are there any alternative grain supply routes currently in operation?

- There is an alternative route through the Crimea, the grain is transported there on grain carriers.

There are no other options yet.

- Is Russia now the only buyer for the Kherson region or are other countries also interested in buying products from the region?

- We are negotiating with other countries, but so far only Russia is buying products.

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• © Ivan Rodionov

— On June 20, harvesting began in the region.

How is this process going now?

In local media and social networks, farmers stated that there were no problems with fuel and lubricants, but there were not enough harvesters.

- As far as I know, farmers negotiate between themselves and their neighbors, including those from Mariupol and Berdyansk, and rent harvesters.

At least they did not apply to the authorities of the region with a request to provide harvesters, because there are not enough of them.

— What about workers?

After all, during active hostilities, people left their homes and left their farms. 

“A lot of people are coming back.

They see that the situation in their native region is stabilizing, life is getting better.

It is clear that people who are used to living well and working will not be on refugee benefits for a long time.

Therefore, now residents are actively returning to work.

- How are things with farmers on the border with the Nikolaev region (the territory is controlled by Kyiv)?

After all, there remains the threat of shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“Indeed, there is a danger that when people go out into the fields to harvest, they may start shelling, such incidents have already happened.

Luckily no one died and everyone managed to hide.

It all depends on the personal decision of the farmers, but some do not go out to harvest because they are afraid for their lives.

— Will the Kherson region buy seeds for the next sowing season from Russia this year?

— Every year we bought seeds from Russian sellers, regardless of the situation in the region and relations between countries.

This autumn will show how much we will need to purchase in order to sow winter crops.

At the same time, the region also has its own seed-growing enterprises.

— How are things going with fertilizers now?

Will the region buy them from Russia or other countries?

“For this year, the region is fully provided with fertilizers, because we bought them in advance in the fall, brought them from Ukrainian regions and from Turkey.

This autumn we will buy them from Russia and, possibly, from other countries.