Ukraine sees no need to curb 2023/24 wheat exports: Official

Ukraine doesn’t plan to restrict wheat exports for the upcoming 2023/24 July-June season, because the winter harvest seems to be bigger than anticipated, albeit smaller than in peacetime, a prime agriculture ministry official mentioned Thursday.

Ukraine was the world’s fifth-largest wheat exporter earlier than the battle with Russia, and its shipments had been particularly essential to poor nations in Africa and the Middle East.

Based on outcomes collected by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food in addition to satellite tv for pc pictures, farmers planted extra wheat in southern areas than the ministry had forecast in autumn, first deputy farm minister Taras Vysotskiy instructed Reuters.

“The (supply) balance is positive and so far there are no reasons for it,” he mentioned of government-imposed limits to wheat exports that will protect extra wheat for home consumption.

Some Ukrainian agriculture teams have urged that the federal government could introduce limits on wheat exports, fearing a scarcity of milling wheat at residence after a smaller, poor-quality harvest.

The ministry now estimates that farmers planted 4.1 million hectares of winter wheat nationally, up from its estimate in October of three.7 to three.8 million hectares, Vysotskiy mentioned, including that the ministry deliberate to formally launch the brand new forecast on Monday.

The planted space continues to be sharply decrease than earlier than the battle when farmers seeded 6.2 million hectares.

The measurement of Ukraine’s wheat crop relies upon largely on the rainfall it can obtain in spring, earlier than farmers harvest it, Vysotskiy mentioned.

The harvest could vary from 16 million to 18 million tons, he estimated. Last 12 months, Ukraine produced 20.2 million tons of wheat.

Ukrainian wheat exports have declined to 11.3 million tons to date this season from 18.1 million offered overseas in the identical interval in 2021/22, ministry information exhibits.

External components should restrict how a lot wheat Ukraine can promote outdoors its borders.

The Black Sea grain cope with Russia, the United Nations and Türkiye that permits some ships to maneuver Ukrainian grain throughout the battle is because of expire later this month. Some areas within the east and south are additionally closely mined, and tough to farm throughout the battle.