January 18, 2011

Ukraine's 2010 grain yield slides below 40 million tonnes

Ukrainian 2010 grain crop fell 4.8% to 39.23 million tonnes from 46 million in 2009, according to Ukraine's State Statistics Committee data on Monday (Jan 17).

The committee gave no reason for the lower crop although officials have said severe drought, which hit most Ukrainian regions in June-September 2010, cut the harvest.

The government had said the severe drought in 2010 would reduce the grain harvest to about 40 million tonnes in clean weight in 2010 from 46 million in 2009.

The 2010 drop has forced the government to impose grain export quotas for the first nine months of the 2010/11 season, which runs from July to June.

But analysts and officials say wet weather and the absence of severe frosts have created excellent conditions for this year's grain harvest which could reach 45-46 million tonnes.