February 11, 2011

Ukraine claims grain export quotas meet WTO requirements

The Ukrainian cabinet asserts that the grain export quotas introduced in 2010 fulfil WTO requirements, according to the country's cabinet's information and communication department.

The department said that in 2010 Ukraine exported 7 million tonnes of grain in total, including 2.6 million tonnes of wheat. Effectively, Ukraine is the world's third largest exporter of grain and holds 16.7% of the global grain market.

The department also said that on February 7 the director of the US Trade Mission to Russia and Eurasia, Betsy Hafner, had met representatives of the Ukrainian Economic Development Ministry and the Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry and "expressed some concerns about policies on Ukraine's grain market, in particular, regarding the grain export quotas and grain traders having to finance the sowing campaign by means of forward contracts. The US side believes that these actions by the Ukrainian authorities run counter to WTO requirements."