ABSTRACT

Ukrainehasalwayshadspecialagriculturalimportanceandsoitwasnot bychancethatitwascommonlyreferredtoasthe'breadbasket'ofthe formerSovietUnion.TheUkraine,whichin1989heldonly15percentof thearablelandareaand4.6percentofthetotalagriculturallandarea,inthe sameyearproduced26percentofSovietgrainoutput,53.3percentof sugarbeetoutput,26.7percentofpotatooutputandmorethan20percent oflivestockproduction,asindicatedinTable3.1below. 1FavorableagroclimaticconditionsunderpinnedUkraine'spositionasakeyagricultural areaandfoodproducerintheSovietfoodsupplysystem.Indeed,the countrypossessesone-thirdoftheworld'schernozem(blackearth)soils, andtheseaccountforone-thirdofthetotalagriculturallandareain Ukraine.Almost60percentofagriculturallandsareflat,withafurther one-thirdhavingaslopeofbetweenoneandthreedegrees,makingatotal of90percentofagriculturallandsuitableforarableproduction.2