May 4, 2012

Ukraine to ship 25 million tonnes grain in 2012-13 MY

Ukraine's general grain exports for the July 2012-June 2013 marketing year (MY) will total 20-25 million tonnes, declared Mykola Prysyazhnyuk, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, on April 27, according to APK-Inform.

According to him, in particular, in 2012-13 MY the export shipment volumes of Ukrainian wheat are expected at the level of 10.6 million tonnes, corn - 11.5-12.5 million tonnes, barley - 3.7 million tonnes.

The Minister also confirmed the previously declared grain crop forecast in Ukraine in 2012 - 45-50 million tonnes. The carry-over stocks of grains as of July 1, 2012, may reach 11 million tonnes.

Thus, the total supply of grains in the new MY will vary within the range of 54-61 million tonnes, summed Prysyazhnyuk.

According to Prysyazhnyuk on Thursday (May 3) that Ukraine's grain exports reached 17.8 million tonnes this marketing year beginning July 1 with 4.4 million tonnes of wheat, 2.3 million tonnes of barley and 11 million tonnes of corn.

"For May and June, we set a goal to increase grain exports, or at least hold it at 2-2.2 million tons to release the storages," he said.

Some four million tonnes of grain may be exported eventually by June 30, he added.

Analysts said Ukraine's carry-over stocks would amount to 10 million tonnes by July 1, when the new season starts.

As a reminder, in 2011 Ukraine produced 56.7 million tonnes of grains, an increase of 44.3% compared to 2010. Experts estimate the domestic consumption of grains at the level of 26.7 million tonnes per year.