Drought in Odesa region: what will happen to the harvest of agricultural crops

During the third decade of August, the soil drought intensified in the Odesa region, accelerating the ripening of sunflower and corn plants by two to three weeks compared to the average historical dates.

According to the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences (NAAS) of Ukraine, based on data from the Climate-Oriented Agriculture Institute, only 2.9 mm of precipitation fell in Odesa, which did not impact the replenishment of soil moisture reserves.

According to NAAS, the agro-meteorological conditions for the completion of the vegetation of late agricultural crops remained unfavorable, and premature wilting of sunflower and corn plants occurred in some fields. These conditions were also extremely unfavorable for moisture accumulation in the soil for sowing winter crops for the harvest of 2026.

As of today, the harvesting of major grain and leguminous crops and rapeseed has practically been completed in the Odesa region, while the collection of cereals, other grains and legumes, sunflowers, fruits, and vegetables continues, along with ongoing vegetative irrigation. Some farms have started sowing winter rapeseed.

Overall, according to NAAS, there has been no rain in the southern and eastern regions for over 3 months, accelerating the ripening of sunflowers and corn by 2-3 weeks and causing premature wilting of the plants.

Meanwhile, in the west and north, there were heavy rains, notably 62.8 mm in the Lviv region, which replenished soil moisture reserves.

In the Kyiv region, the conditions for sowing winter grains remained largely unfavorable due to a lack of precipitation.

NAAS noted that agro-meteorological conditions remain the main risk for sowing winter crops for the harvest of 2026. In the south and east, there is a critical lack of moisture, while the western regions maintain good prospects due to rainfall.