The Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry of Ukraine has reviewed upwards the 2018 grain harvest forecast from over 60 million tonnes to 63.1 million tonnes, which is 1.1 million tonnes more than in the previous agricultural year, acting Agricultural Policy and Food Minister Maksym Martyniuk wrote on his Facebook page. “A group of late grain crops will contribute to the growth. Weather conditions were far from optimal, but losses were fragmentary, and as a result we have a decent ratio of bread wheat/coarse grains at 60/40,” he said.
The head of the agrarian ministry added that the export forecast was also increased, to 42 million tonnes.
“It is good news. The situation in the world (poor harvests in supplying countries, rising prices) raises its status to” magnificent,” Martyniuk said.
He also said that if the field works started late spring, the sowing campaign began almost a week earlier: as of September 10, 237,100 hectares were sown with grain, which is 3% of the forecast.
“Rain is a bonus,” the acting minister said.
According to the ministry, as of September 10, the harvest of grain and leguminous crops amounted to 35.4 million tonnes from 10.1 million hectares, or 68% of the forecast. These include early cereals: 34.3 million tonnes were harvested from an area of 9.9 million hectares, and 0.82 million tonnes of corn was harvested from 147,000 hectares (3% of the forecast).
Ukraine as of August 31, 2018 threshed 34.5 million tonnes of grain and leguminous crops from 10 million ha (67% of the target) with the yield of 34.6 centners per ha.
According to a report of the Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry last week, early grain and leguminous crops harvest was 34.3 million from 9.9 million ha with the yield of 34.8 centners per ha.
Some 26,000 tonnes of buckwheat was threshed from 20,000 ha (18% of the target) with the yield of 13.2 centners per ha, 29,000 tonnes of oats from 19,000 ha (37%) with the yield of 15.1 centners per ha.
In addition, some 489,000 tonnes of sunflower was harvested from 267,000 ha (4%) with the yield of 18.3 centners per ha and 75,000 tonnes of soybeans from 28,000 ha (2%) with the yield of 26.9 centners per ha.
Rapeseeds were harvested from 1 million ha (99%) with the yield of 26.1 centners per ha. Some 2.7 million tonnes were threshed.
Winter rapeseeds are being sowed now. Some 685,000 ha had been sowed out of the 888,000 ha target (77%).
The profitability of grain production in Ukraine in 2017 was 25% compared to 37.8% in 2016, the State Statistics Service has reported. According to its data, in addition, last year the profitability of production of sunflower seeds decreased to 41.3% from 63% in 2016, sugar beets to 12.4% from 24.3%, open ground vegetables to 15.6% from 19.7%, while potatoes grew to 10% (minus 3.2%).
At the same time, for the first time since 1995, production of meat became profitable: 3.4% against 24.8% in 2016. Profitability of pork production was 3.5% against minus 4.5%, poultry some 7% against 5% in 2016.
The profitability of mutton production last year declined and amounted to minus 39.6% against minus 35.2% in 2016, eggs accounted for minus 9% against 0.5% in 2016.
According to the agency, the profitability of milk production in 2017 increased to 26.9% from 18.2%.
Ukraine exported 3.894 million tonnes of grain from July 1, 2018, when the 2018/2019 marketing year began, to August 15, which was 5.4% down on the same date last year. In particular, about 1.67 million tonnes of wheat was shipped abroad, the Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry said.
Barley exports totaled 1.15 million tonnes, and those of maize were 1.03 million tonnes.
Ukraine also exported 20,800 tonnes of flour by August 15, 2018.
Ukraine exported 39.4 million tonnes of grain in the 2017/2018 marketing year (July through June), the ministry said.
Ukraine as of July 30 had threshed 22.4 million tonnes of early grain and leguminous crops from 7 million hectares (70% of the forecast for these crops) with the yield being 32.2 centners per ha. According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, farmers harvested 17 million tonnes of winter wheat from 4.9 million hectares (76% of the forecast) with the yield of 34.8 centners/ha, 54,400 tonnes of spring wheat from 22,700 hectares (12%) with a yield of 23.9 centners/ha, 3 million tonnes of winter barley from 850,500 hectares (97%) with the yield being 34.9 centners per ha, 1.6 million tonnes of spring barley from 793,000 hectares (49%) with a yield of 20.8 centners/ha, and 590,500 tonnes of peas from 342,400 hectares (79%) with a yield of 17.2 centners/ha.
The country also harvested 86,000 tonnes of rye from 36,000 hectares (24%) with a yield of 22.4 centners/ha and 25,600 tonnes of oats from 14,300 hectares (7%) with a yield of 17.9 centners/ha. In addition, farmers threshed 2.4 million tonnes of winter rapeseeds from 930,000 hectares (95%) with a yield of 25.9 centners per ha and 21,000 tonnes of spring rapeseeds from 12,000 hectares (17%) with the yield standing at 17.3 centners/ha.
Exports of grain crops in the 2017/2018 marketing year (July 2017 through June 2018) totaled 39.4 million tonnes and amounted to $6.4 billion, according to the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine. The largest buyers of Ukrainian grain in this period were Egypt ($ 724 million, with a share of 11.4%), China ($594 million, 9.3%), Spain ($459 million, 7.2%), Indonesia ($375 million, 5.9%) and the Netherlands ($348 million, 5.5%).
In particular, Ukraine exported 17.8 million tonnes of maize worth $2.86 billion (China’s share was 16.4%, Egypt accounted for 13.6%, and the Netherlands for 12.2%). Exports of wheat totaled 17.2 million tonnes worth $2.83 billion (Indonesia with 13.3%, Egypt with 11.8%, and Bangladesh with8.7%); while exports of barley stood at 4.3 million tonnes worth $0.64 billion (Saudi Arabia with 41.2%, China with 19.3%, and Libya with 6.6%).
As noted, 99% of all grain was shipped by sea (39 million tonnes). The ports of Chornomorsk (formerly Illichivsk) accounted for 22% of all grain shipments by sea, the port of Odesa accounted for 19%, Yuzhny for 19%, and Mykolaiv for 18%. At the same time, 306,000 tonnes (0.8%) was exported by rail and almost 80,000 tonnes (0.2%) by road.
Ukraine in the 2016/2017 marketing year exported 43.8 million tonnes of grain, the Ukrainian Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food earlier reported.
