Ukraine's grain export in December is likely to fall 17 percent compared with November, to 1.5 million tonnes because of falling prices on the world grain market, the national grain producers' association UZA announced Wednesday (December 10).

UZA said grain export had been slowing - from 2.8 million tonnes in September to 2.2 million tonnes in October and 1.8 million tonnes in November. Including the 1.5 million tonnes forecast in December, total grain export in July-December, the current marketing year, should amount to about 12 million tonnes.

Total grain export in the 2008-2009 marketing year is expected at about 23 million tonnes.

In the 2007-2008 marketing year Ukraine only exported 3.6 million tonnes of grain because of low harvest and restrictions on export imposed by the government, which expects grain harvest this year at 51 million tonnes in clean weight, compared with 29.3 million tonnes in 2007.