Heatwaves and heavy rains disrupt Ukraine’s crop development

Weather conditions in July 2025 were largely unfavorable for the harvest, according to the monthly agrometeorological review by the Hydrometeorological Center of Ukraine.

In the southern, eastern, and most central regions, persistently hot weather and a significant lack of precipitation negatively affected the growth and development of late-season crops.

This led to premature leaf drying and curling, complete plant desiccation in some cases, and sunburn damage to vegetable crops.

High soil temperatures further impeded the development of potato tubers and limited root mass growth in sugar beet.

In contrast, active atmospheric fronts in the western and northern regions brought heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, strong winds, and, in some areas, hail. A record-breaking amount of precipitation was recorded – both in terms of daily maximums and monthly totals.

These weather events caused widespread crop damage, including broken leaves and lodging of early grains, while also triggering river overflows, flooding of farm facilities, damage to power lines, and fallen trees.

Heavy rainfall also encouraged aggressive weed growth, the spread of fungal diseases, and prevented the timely harvesting of early grain crops.

• The National Bank of Ukraine downgraded its grain harvest forecast for 2025 to 57.9 million tons, and its oilseed forecast to 21 million tons.
• However, the NBU also estimates that this year’s total grain harvest will still be 11.5% higher (or 0.8 million tons more) compared to 2024. The potato harvest is expected to grow by 10.7%, amounting to 1.9 million tons more than last year.