Wheat harvest average yield up over 30%
Landkom International PLC (AIM: LKI, "Landkom" or "the Group"), the Ukrainian producer of high value oilseed rape ("OSR") and wheat, has harvested 31,896 tonnes of winter wheat from 7,874 hectares (ha) of its core land in Western Ukraine. This represents an average yield of 4.1 tonnes per ha, a 32 per cent increase on last year's winter wheat yield in western regions of 3.1 tonnes per ha.
Yields ranged from 2.2 to 6.5 tonnes per ha across the Group's fields in Western Ukraine. Input programmes were tailored to meet land and crop potential as some land has been fallow for considerable periods prior to the Group's activities. Fields which have been lying fallow tend to yield less in early years of farming.
Separately, the Group has harvested 3,640 tonnes of winter wheat from 2,200 ha of non-irrigated land in Crimea, and approximately 2,200 tonnes of winter wheat from 1,371 ha non-core, low-input land in Zhytomir, Eastern Ukraine, with average yields of 1.7 tonnes per ha and approximately 1.6 tonnes per ha respectively.
Both of these newly developed areas were in their first year of farming following a long period of non cultivation. As part of Landkom's ongoing land bank analysis, the management is reviewing the economic viability of these operations.
Stephen Pickup, Interim Chief Executive, said:
"This substantial increase in yield was achieved with a significantly reduced farming team and reflects well on their commitment. We will work to further improve our yields again next year with a main focus on the western regions."
Landkom International Plc (www.landkominternational.com)
Stephen Pickup, Interim Chief Executive
+44 (0) 1462 790175
Liberum Capital
Simon Atkinson
+44 (0)20 3100 2000
College Hill
Simon Whitehead/Adrian Duffield
+44 (0)20 7457 2020
23 September 2009
