The Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Food of Ukraine has improved the forecast for the sunflower crop in the current year by 29%, to 11 million tonnes, First Deputy Minister of Agricultural Policy and Food Ivan Bisiuk has said at a meeting of the public council under the ministry.

"Moreover, we will have a sunflower harvest of 11 million tonnes this year," he said.

According to him, the grain harvest is expected to reach 60 million tonnes, in particular that of corn will reach 27 million tonnes, while exports are expected to reach 30 million tonnes.

Bisiuk said that in 2013 the growth of the gross agricultural output would be 109.3%. He said that Ukraine this month would export 3 million tonnes of grain.

"Yesterday we shipped a record high number of cars – 1,206," he said.

The first deputy minister said that in 2013 the rate of gross agricultural production would grow from $223.3 billion to $241.7 billion.

As reported, the ministry estimated the sunflower crop in 2013 at 8.5 million tonnes.