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Ukraine's besieged farmers fear war-time harvest 'hell'

As 10-metre high mounds of sunflower meal smoulder among the blackened ruins of one of Ukraine's top agricultural terminals, farmers in this front-line region are scrambling to survive a harvest under Russian fire.

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Ukraines besieged farmers fear war-time harvest hell

Supplies of fertilizer are running low, and without buyers for grain exports, farmers said they could struggle to raise funds to buy more supplies, even if they were available.

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Ukraines besieged farmers fear war-time harvest hell

"Fuel has gone up. Fertilizer prices are insane. I don't know how we are going to work next year," said Valentyn Matviyenko, who runs a farm near Bashtanka, around 60 kilometers northeast of Mykolaiv city where some land is within range of Russian artillery.

Some traders are offering wheat prices that were one-third of pre-war highs, he said.

"Our financial resources are dwindling. We've put everything into this harvest," he said.

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Ukraines besieged farmers fear war-time harvest hell

SEA BLOCKADE

Few in the region hold out hope that diplomatic efforts will unblock the Black Sea. They said a few convoys of ships would not even dent the volumes that need to be exported, and it is not economical to send the same grain by road.

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Ukraines besieged farmers fear war-time harvest hell

Additional grain storage in and around Mykolaiv has been ruled out due to the risk of shelling, Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych told Reuters. Instead the focus is on building facilities closer to the Romanian border where river transport is an option.

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Ukraines besieged farmers fear war-time harvest hell

The regional administration said it is looking at municipal and communal rather than private storage. The national government, meanwhile, is seeking to simplify export procedures and is offering farmers interest-free loans.

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Ukraines besieged farmers fear war-time harvest hell

Some are sceptical of state intervention: "The best help of the government is not to do anything .. business will find a way to export the grain," Mayor Senkevych said.

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Ukraines besieged farmers fear war-time harvest hell

After spraying fertilizer on a field of young sunflowers, tractor driver Vasyl Boyko, 38, said he does not believe a solution will be found unless Ukraine pushes back Russian forces and the West opens trade corridors in the Black Sea.

"We don't need words, we need weapons," he said.