The current 2016/2017 soybean season is completely different from the past one, except for the fact that Ukraine is unlikely to obtain soybean crop higher than 4 MMT again.
Each marketing year has its own characteristic features. The 2016/2017 soybean season can be characterized by the following:
- Planted area reduction due to low production profitability in the last 2015/2016 season. Profitability is estimated at 30%.
- Soybean harvesting delay compared to last season, because of record large sunflower area;
- High soybean humidity and losses caused by rainy weather, especially at the end of harvesting campaign.
Given all these factors, analysts expect soybean production to reach 4 MMT in 2016. A bit earlier the estimate was more optimistic (4.3 MMT). An 18% increase in soybean average yields owing to favorable weather during plants development, will not be able to offset the reduction of planted area and losses. (UkrAgroConsult/Business World Magazine)