August 15, 2012

Ukraine's 2012-13 grain exports likely down to 19.8 million tonnes

Ukraine's grain exports in the 2012-13 season may be lowered to 19.8 million tonnes from 23.4 million in 2011-12 due to a smaller harvest.

The former Soviet republic could harvest a total of 42.6 million tonnes of grain this year down from 52.7 million in 2011, the analyst ProAgro said on Tuesday (Aug 14).

The government, which put the 2011 harvest at 56.7 million tonnes, has said the output could total 45 million tonnes this year.

It said farms had completed the harvest of wheat and barley, threshing 16.3 million tonnes of wheat and 7.1 million tonnes of barley.

ProAgro said the 2012 wheat harvest could reach 13.6 million tonnes while the output of barley was seen at 6.3 million tonnes. The consultancy said a fall in output would cut Ukraine's wheat exports to 4.5 million tonnes in 2012-13 from 5.3 million tonnes in 2011-12.

Exports of barley might fall to two million tonnes from 2.4 million a season earlier. ProAgro said last week it had cut its forecast for Ukraine's corn harvest in 2012 to about 20 million tonnes from its previous estimate of 21.5 million due to drought which hurt yield.

It forecast corn exports at 12.7 million tonnes, down from 15.3 million in 2011-12.