April 23, 2007

Ukraine's grain harvests may be hampered by drought

Projection for Ukraine's grain production may be slashed down due to the enduring absence of rainfall, Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Slauta said.

If the drought continues in ten days, the Agriculture Ministry will have to cut grain this year's original harvest forecasts of 38 million tonnes of grain, he said.

The regions running the largest risk are Kherson, Odesa, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhia, Slauta added.

The government will also consider retaining the export quotas for wheat despite concerns of poor harvests. The statement comes contrary to previous statements, which saw international grain traders triumph with a pledge for grain restriction waiver.

According to the latest weather forecast, rainfall is expected in central and northern Ukraine.

Ukrainian farmers have planted 6.9 million hectares of winter grain. Broken down by crops, wheat accounted for 5.9 million hectares of wheat, 0.3 million hectares of rye, 0.6 million hectares of barley and 0.8 million hectares of rapeseed.