Ukraine in 2012/13 agricultural year could export 20 m t of grain, says Ukrainian Grain Association

Kyiv, July 12 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Grain exports from Ukraine this agricultural year (July 2012- June 2013) could reach 20 million tonnes, according to President of the Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA), Volodymyr Klymenko.

"I think that today [exporting] 20 million tonnes [of grain] is an absolutely realistic task," he said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on July 12, 2012.

He said that Ukraine in 2011/12 agricultural year supplied 22.3 million tonnes of grain to foreign markets.

Klymenko also said that the country this year could harvest 45 million tonnes of grain, taking into account the improvement of weather conditions over the past few days.

"It started raining, and this could improve the situation," he said.

He also said that only a slight fall in grain exports this agricultural year, despite the considerable fall in the harvest, is expected due to the large ending stocks of the 2011 harvest. He said that as of July 1, 2012, grain stocks in Ukraine stood at 12.6 million tonnes, while for the optimal balance of the market they should not exceed six million tonnes.