About 92 percent of sprouted Ukrainian winter grain crops, or more than 7 million hectares, were in good or satisfactory condition as of December 4, Agriculture Minister Mykola Prysyazhnyuk said on Tuesday. Farms have sown a total of 8.1 million hectares for the 2013 grain harvest, and 94 percent have already sprouted, he said in a statement.

"Snow fell in almost all regions, while there are rains in southern and eastern regions. These weather conditions favour the entry of crops in winter," Prysyazhnyuk said. He said that 62 percent of this year's crops were in good condition and 30 percent were satisfactory. "Certainly we can say that meteorological conditions of autumn vegetation of winter crops this year are much better than in the past." Last year Ukrainian farms sowed 8.4 million hectares of winter grains, mostly winter wheat, but seeds on 1.2 million hectares did not sprout due to a severe drought from July to November.

Copyright Reuters, 2012