April 30 2004, 11:33 Agrarian Marketing Project

Damage to winter crops from April frosts in Crimea may have been exaggerated

The Crimean Office of the Agrarian Marketing Project in Ukraine has informed that according to the estimates of Crimean agriculture ministry, the damage to Crimean farmers from the frosts, which affected agricultural crops early this month, has amounted to 291 million hryvnias ($54.6 million), including 58 million hryvnias ($10.9 million) of direct losses. The largest damage was inflicted to fruit trees, which had been out at the moment of the unseasonable frost hit.

At the same time, many experts are rather skeptical about the reports of damage to winter crops, considering these to be obviously exaggerated. The analysts say the reasons for exaggerating the damage on the part of agricultural producers were inflated data on winter crops sown areas with the aim of obtaining state subsidies, and the wish to get compensation for the allegedly frozen-out grains.