July 29, 2008

Ukraine's July grain exports at 810,000 tonnes

Ukraine has exported at least 810,000 tonnes of grain for the first three weeks of July, with an additional 110,000 tonnes likely in coming weeks, according to an agriculture consultancy report.

Data from the agriculture consultancy UkrAgroConsult said 370,000 tonnes of barley, 340,000 tonnes of wheat and 100,000 tonnes of corn has been exported for July so far.

The high export volumes were driven by great demand for corn, barley and wheat. In addition, feed wheat prices have dropped by US$21-US$27, to US$176-US$180 per tonne.

Ukraine is poised to become a major player in the world grain market, with a record grain harvest forecast of up to 43 million tonnes for this year. As of July 25, the country's grain harvest stood at 19.7 million tonnes.

In addition, grain exports could increase four-fold to 16 million tonnes in 2008/2009 from 4 million tonnes in 2007/2008.