Extreme drought and locust swarms are threatening sunflower seed and crop production in Russia and Ukraine, raising fears of a feed crisis for livestock farmers.
Southern regions of Russia and Ukraine may lose a substantial share of sunflower seed and other crop production in the current season due to a combination of extreme drought and locusts, the population of which reached an unprecedented scale and is spreading from the zone of the military conflict.
Sunflower production faces major losses
Nearly a third of the sunflower seeds production may be lost in the Zhaporozhie region, local press has recently reported, citing farmers.
Locusts multiply across war zones
Over the past months, the locust population has been rapidly expanding along rivers and agricultural fields close to the combat zones. The extreme summer heat and the absence of birds, natural enemies of locusts, which avoid the war territory, have fuelled the alarming increase in the locust population.
Officials warn of food risks
Ukrainian officials blame Russia for the rise in locust population and warn about the dire consequences for global food security.
“The locust invasion is a consequence of Russia’s ecocide against Ukraine. And not only against Ukraine, but against the entire world,” Vadim Chaikovsky, deputy chairman of the Ukrainian service Food Safety and Consumer Protection, told local press.
Dam damage worsens locust crisis
The destruction of Khakovka Dam in 2023 – a catastrophe for which Russia and Ukraine blame each other – also contributed to the current crisis, creating huge swampy areas where locusts breed.
Pests spread amid security restrictions
Multiplying in the combat areas, locust swarms spread across the region. Reports about the pest destroying harvest have been coming from Dnipro, Kyiv and even the Vinnitsia region in the western part of the country. Airborne treatment, a usual tool for dealing with locusts, is not available, as the Ukrainian sky remains closed for security reasons.
Russia is hit too
Problems are also reported on the Russian side. Farmers of the Russian south may lose up to a quarter of their harvest in 2025 due to extreme heat.
In recent weeks, authorities in the Rostov region, an agricultural region in the Russian south, also voiced concerns over the rapid spread of locusts.
As a result, the region starts facing a full-fledged feed industry crisis.
“We are facing the risk that livestock farmers, left without feed and without money, will simply start slaughtering their livestock, and we will reduce the livestock population,” Yuri Slyusar, governor of the Rostov region, warned.
According to Slyusar, the regional government has allocated Rub 1 billion ($13 million) to purchase feed in the neighbouring Russian regions, and is considering requesting additional aid from the federal authorities.
