April 9, 2012

Ukraine to export 23 million tonnes grains in current marketing year

Sergei Kvasha, Director of the department of economic development and agrarian market of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, on April 5 said that Ukraine will export 23 million tonnes of grains in the current marketing year (July 2011-June 2012).

According to him, in March 2012, the country exported 2.5 million tonnes of grains. Kvasha also believes that the export volumes of grains from Ukraine in April 2012 will total 2.5-2.7 million tonnes, including traditional volumes of corn at the level of 70-80%.

According to materials of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, since the beginning of the current marketing year (MY) and, as of April 4, 2012, Ukraine exported 15.8 million tonnes of grains, an increase of 76.7% compared to the same date last MY.

According to the Ministry, in particular, exports of Ukrainian corn grew by almost two times to 9.63 million tonnes, wheat - up 25% to 3.88 million tonnes (including 2.19 million tonnes of milling wheat and 1.7 million tonnes of feed wheat). At the same time, exports of barley reduced by 11.5% - to 2.16 million tonnes.

Since the beginning of MY and as of April 4, exports of oilseeds reduced by 12.7% compared to the same date last MY. In particular, Ukraine exported one million tonnes of rapeseeds, and 0.87 million tonnes of soy. Export volumes of sunflower seed totalled 107,000 tonnes, as opposed to 319,000 tonnes last MY.

Previously, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy reduced its estimation of grain exports in the current MY from the level of 25.4 million tonnes to 20-21 million tonnes. In 2011 Ukraine produced the record grain harvest - 56.7 million tonnes, while the domestic consumption totalled 26.7 million tonnes.