Ukraine to be 2nd or 3rd in global grain exports in 2013/14 agri-year, says UGA

Kyiv, July 16 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine in the current agricultural year (July 2013 – June 2014) could supply 29 million tonnes of grain to foreign markets, which will place it second or third in terms of exports of grain in the world, President of the Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA) Volodymyr Klymenko has said.

"We'll have record exports. Ukraine will be third [after the United States and Argentina] in grain supplies, and maybe second if the situation with corn is be good," he said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.

The expert also said that the country this agri-year would have the largest grain harvest over the years of Ukraine's independence – 57 million tonnes. He noted that the current record for Ukraine of 56.7 million tonnes was set in 2011.

Klymenko said that market players and the Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Food have signed a memorandum defining the conditions of the operation of the grain market this season. Earlier it was expected that the document would define the largest possible volumes of exports. However, he said that there is no need for this thanks to the expected record harvest of grain this year.

As reported, the Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Food forecasts that grain harvest in 2013 in Ukraine will total 53-54 million tonnes compared to 46.2 million tonnes in 2012. Exports of grain in the new season will amount to 26 million tonnes, while in the 2012/13 agri-year the figure was 22.8 million tonnes.