December 22, 2009

Grain export from Ukraine takes a downward swing

Ukraine is likely to export in December no more than 1.5 million tonnes of grain, down from the average two million tonnes a month this marketing year.

This figure was projected by the Ukrainian Grain Association on Monday (Dec 21).

Ukraine exported 728,000 tonnes of grain between December 1 and December 16, including 294,000 tonnes of wheat and 409,000 tonnes of corn.

The fall in grain export in December is mostly due to the government delaying the reimbursement of value added tax to grain exporters, with the arrears currently standing at UAH3.5 billion  (US$438.6 million).