This season, farmers in the Kirovohrad region significantly reduced the area under buckwheat - more than 2.5 times compared to last year. The main factor behind this decision was the unprofitability of this culture, according to Suspilny, the head of the regional department of agro-industrial development, Valeriya Furmanova.

"For decades, the average area under buckwheat was 1.6 thousand hectares. In 2023, under the influence of increased prices, 2.7 thousand hectares were sown," said Valeriya Furmanova.

Last year, the price of buckwheat was from 8 to 9 thousand hryvnias per ton, despite the fact that its cost price was 15 thousand hryvnias per ton. This year, prices have risen to 10,000 hryvnias per ton, noted the head of the agricultural enterprise, Mykola Makodzeba. However, due to low profitability compared to other grain crops, farmers decided to replace buckwheat with corn crops.

"On one hectare you can get up to 10 tons of corn, which can be sold for 7 thousand hryvnias per ton, which makes 70 thousand hryvnias per hectare. Compared to buckwheat, which brings only 10 thousand hryvnias per hectare, the difference is significant," explained Mykola Makodzeba.

The farmer believes that the state can help farmers by introducing quotas and state subsidies for growing buckwheat, which will stimulate the production of this crop.

According to Taras Vysotskyi, First Deputy Minister of Agricultural Policy, last year Ukraine had the largest area under buckwheat during the entire period of the country's independence — 141.5 thousand hectares.

The head of the International Association of Buckwheat Producers, Mykola Malienko, also confirmed that this year in Ukraine, the sown area of ​​buckwheat was significantly reduced compared to last year due to low prices, which are unprofitable for agricultural producers.