Ukraine's 2013 grain harvest could be 53-54 m tonnes, says farming ministry

15:17, 10.06.2013 1 min read

Ukraine might harvest 53-54 million tonnes of grain this year versus the 46.2 million tonnes it did last year, the country's Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry reckons.

"This year, Ukrainian growers plan to gather one of the biggest harvests in the period of independence. In particular, it is expected that gross grain production will amount to 53-54 million tonnes," a ministry statement says, citing the director of its agriculture department, Oleksandr Demydov.

The use of high-quality seed will further these ends, he said, as will new harvesters and expanding the farmland planted with winter wheat and corn.

The thought is that due to weather conditions the harvest of early grain in Ukraine has to be carried out in the shortest possible time - 10-15 days.

The ministry puts the country's grain needs at roughly 28 million tonnes a year.