March 5, 2012

Ukraine's February grain exports dropped by about 25% to 1.7 million tonnes from 2.26 million in January, after severe cold had hit transportation, Ukrainian grain lobby UAC said on Friday (Mar 2).

UAC said in a statement the volume had included 1.3 million tonnes of corn, 340,000 of wheat and 40,000 of barley. Ukraine exported 1.8 million tonnes of corn, 366,000 of wheat and 68,000 of barley in January.

The lobby said Ukraine's grain exports totalled 13.5 million tonnes in the first eight months of the 2011/12 season against about eight million in the same period a season earlier.

UAC gave no reason for the decrease in the exports in February but agriculture officials last month said severe frosts across most Ukrainian regions had dramatically slowed the pace of grain exports from the country's Black Sea ports.

Frosts at about minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit) make it impossible to load grain onto railway cars inside the country, while strong wind and ice prevent grain loading in ports.

Ukraine harvested a record 56.7 million tonnes of grain in 2011 and the Agriculture Ministry forecasts exports at about 21-23 million tonnes in the 2011/12 season.

Analysts forecast that exports will not exceed 21 million tonnes this season.