OREANDA-NEWS. September 26, 2008. A total of 1.6 million hectares has been sown with winter crops, Agriculture Minister Yuriy Melnyk has said.

He said that Ukraine had sown 3 million hectares with winter crops over the same period in 2007.

Melnyk said this could be explained by unfavourable weather conditions.

Ukraine has sown 1.08 million hectares with winter rapeseed, with the target of 1.22 million hectares.