The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reviewed downwards the forecast for export of Ukrainian wheat in 2019/20 agricultural year (July-June) by 0.5 million tonnes, to 19 million tonnes, and harvest – by 1 million tonnes, to 29 million tonnes, according to a July report of the USDA posted on its website. According to the report, compared with the June report, the forecast for the export of barley in 2019/20 agri-year was also lowered to 4.2 million tonnes (by 0.3 million tonnes) due to the deterioration of the forecast for the production of this crop to 8.5 million tonnes (by 0.5 million tons).
At the same time, the forecast for the export of corn has been increased to 28 million tonnes (by 1 million tonnes) with improving the forecast of the corn harvest to 34 million tonnes (by 1 million tonnes).
Thus, in general, the grain harvest forecast for 2019/20 agri-year in Ukraine has been reduced to 72.55 million tonnes (by 0.5 million tonnes compared with the June forecast), exports increased to 51.39 million tonnes (by 0.2 million tonnes).
As reported, Ukraine’s Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry predicts an increase in the yield of grain in 2019 to 70.8 million tonnes with a gross harvest of grain in the 2018/19 agricultural year at the level of 70.1 million tonnes.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is convinced that Ukraine should be associated not only with agriculture, mines and metallurgy, beautiful people, nature and food, but also with the IT industry. “There has always been a vision for everyone in the world that Ukraine is, above all, agriculture, mines, metallurgists, and tourists have always said that Ukraine is very beautiful, food here is very tasty and people are very beautiful, especially women. Yes, that’s it and it remains our brand, but there are other figures that indicate that the IT industry, IT technologies and companies are developing very quickly in Ukraine,” he said during a visit to Station F, the world’s largest startup campus, in Paris.
According to Zelensky, more than 4% of Ukraine’s GDP is now formed through the IT industry. “We have about 150,000 IT specialists, startup initiators in Ukraine. I think that we will develop in this direction,” he said.
Zelensky noted that in Ukraine there is no such campus for startups yet, but they will work on it. “We have a lot of factories, which, unfortunately, do not work. We will definitely find such a large building,” he said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has predicted growth in exports of rapeseeds from Ukraine in 2019/2020 agricultural year (September-August) by 1 million tonnes year-over-year, to 3.5 million tonnes.
According to a June report of USDA, the forecst for exports of oilseeds was revised downwards to 5.55 million tonnes (a decrease by 10,000 tonnes compared with the May report), that for oilseed crushing – to 16.7 million tonnes (a decease by 10,000 tonnes).
USDA also slightly reviewed downwards the forecasts for 2019/2020 agri-year for export of Ukrainian vegetale oil, to 6.1 million tonnes (a decrease by 2,000 tonnes) and oilseed cake, to 5.92 million (a decline by 8,000 tonnes).
USDA in June left unchanged the forecast for exports of sunflower seeds for 2019/2020 agri-year: it would be 150,000 tonnes, meal – 4.7 million tonnes and oil – 5.6 million tonnes.
USDA reviewed downwards the forecast for Ukrainian soybeans: exports of soybean meal to 1.9 million tonnes (a decrease by 100,000 tonnes), exports of soybeans – to 1 million tonnes (a decline by 80,000 tonnes over the smaller volumes of its production).
The USDA’s forecast for oilseed crushing in Ukraine for this season is 16.65 million tonnes, oilseed exports – 5.15 million tonnes, meal exports – 5.17 million tonnes and vegetable oil exports – 6.21 million tonnes.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) predicts that export of vegetable oil from Ukraine in the 2019/20 agricultural year (September-August) will be 6.12 million tonnes, which is 90,000 tonnes less than in 2018/19 agri-year (6.21 million tonnes).
According to the May report, forecast for oilseed crushing for 2019/20 agri-year were improved by 150,000 tonnes, to 16.8 million tonnes.
USDA said that next agri-year sunflower seed production in Ukraine could decrease by 200,000 tonnes year-over-year, to 14.8 million tonnes, meal – by 123,000 tonnes, to 5.99 million tonnes and oil – by 129,000 tonnes, to 6.24 million tonnes.
Export of sunflower seeds in 2019/20 agri-year should grow by 50%, to 150,000 tonnes, meal – by 6%, to 4.7 million tonnes and oil – by 3.4%, to 5.6 million tonnes.
The Epicenter K Group, developing the agricultural business since 2016, has invested UAH 6 billion in agriculture and plans to invest UAH 2.5 billion more in silos, the co-owner of the company Halyna Hereha said at the Forum of Innovative Production Facilities Development held in Bila Tserkva on Thursday.
“We have invested UAH 6 billion in the agricultural sector, and we need another UAH 2.5 billion to complete the silo project. These are not only our funds, but also loans. Last year, we started building three silos and reconstructing six. Therefore, now a big investment is unrealistic,” she told Interfax-Ukraine.
According to Hereha, the company also intends to develop the dairy business. “We have animal husbandry of 20 dairy farms, but the volumes are small. In the future we plan to develop the business. There is a question of processing milk. We have not invested in animal husbandry yet, but we are discussing this,” she said.
Hereha also said that Epicenter also postponed the oilseeds processing project due to the unfavorable situation on the oilseeds market. “At present, the oil industry is declining, as producers cannot agree among themselves and simply dump the market. Therefore, we have stopped the processing process in the oil industry, but in the future we will do something interesting,” she said.
Hereha added that Epicenter is actively introducing new technologies, in particular, updating equipment and investing in the laboratory and precision farming. “In addition, we have a woodworking plant in Ivano-Frankivsk region. Now it makes a lot of products, a large percentage of them is exported, and some of them are for sale in the Epicenter [network],” she said.
Capital investment in agriculture in 2018 totaled UAH 90 billion, including UAH 25 billion invested in processing, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said.
“Last year, UAH 90 billion were invested in the agricultural and industrial complex, almost UAH 25 billion were funds invested in processing… We have not yet used even a third of our potential [in the agricultural and industrial complex],” he said at the tenth Agroport West Lviv International agricultural exhibition and forum on supporting farming held in Lviv on Thursday.
According to him, the share of agriculture of Ukraine’s GDP is 17%, but only 4% of it are processed products, the rest is raw materials.
“Our task is to change this structure. At least a quarter of the gross product should be for the agricultural and industrial complex. We must increase the in-depth processing of Ukrainian products,” Groysman said.
The prime minister said that products grown in Ukraine are represented in 190 countries.
