Ukraine farms lose workers to war, complicating a tough harvest

An agricultural worker operates a tractor with a tiller in a field near the village Kyshchentsi, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Cherkasy region, Ukraine May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

KYSHCHENTSI, Ukraine (Reuters) - Dutchman Kees Huizinga has faced many challenges in the two decades he has spent as a farmer in Ukraine. Russia's invasion has thrown up one challenge he never expected.

Around 40 of his 350 workers have signed up to fight in the war, and the replacements he has found lack their experience. Huizinga fears this could mean a fall in grain and milk yields, and with them a drop in his income.