Ukraine since the beginning of the 2018/2019 marketing year (MY, July-June) and as of October 10 had exported 10.173 million tonnes of grain, which is 9% less than on the same date of the previous MY.
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, the country exported about 6.03 million tonnes of wheat, 2.23 million tonnes of barley, and 1.73 million tonnes of corn.
In addition, 52,800 tonnes of flour had been exported on the date.
As reported, with reference to the ministry, Ukraine exported 39.4 million tonnes of grain in the 2017/2018 MY. Export of grain in the 2018/2019 MY is projected to be 42 million tonnes.
Ukraine exported 8.652 million tonnes of grain from July 1, 2018 (the beginning of the 2018/2019 marketing year, MY July-June) to September 26, 2018, which was 8.6% less than by the same date of the previous MY. As of today, farmers exported about 5.06 million tonnes of wheat, 1.93 million tonnes of barley, 1.5 million tonnes of maize, Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food said on Wednesday.
In addition, 45,200 tonnes of flour was sold on foreign markets over the period under review.
The ministry also said that the volume of forecast wheat exports remained at the level that was recorded in the Memorandum of Understanding for 2018/2019 MY, signed by the ministry and grain market players on August 10, i.e. 8 million tonnes of food wheat and 8 million tonnes of coarse wheat.
Ukraine as of September 18 threshed 36.8 million tonnes of grain and leguminous crops from an area of 10.4 million hectares (70% of the forecast) with the yield of 3.52 tonnes per ha, Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food has said on its website. The harvest of early grains and leguminous crops amounted to 34.3 million tonnes from an area of 9.9 million hectares with a yield of 3.48 tonnes per hectare.
Some 2.2 million tonnes of maize was threshed from 402,000 hectares (9%) with the yield of 5.49 tonnes per hectare, some 84,000 tonnes of buckwheat was harvested from 66,000 hectares (61%) with a yield of 1.28 tonnes per hectare, and the total harvest of millet was 56,000 tonnes gathered from 36,000 hectares (68%) with a yield of 1.57 tonnes per hectare.
In addition, 4.7 million tonnes of sunflower seeds were harvested from 2.2 million hectares with a yield of 2.13 tonnes per hectare and 837,000 tonnes of soybean from 346,000 hectares with a yield of 2.42 tonnes per hectare.
Some 2.7 million tonnes of rapeseeds were threshed from 1 million hectares with a yield of 2.61 tonnes per hectare.
A total of 947,000 tonnes of sugar beets were dug from 20,000 ha (7%) with a yield of 46.7 tonners per ha.
Along with the harvesting the autumn sowing campaign is under way. So, the farmers sowed 1.1 million hectares with winter grain crops (16%), with a projected area of 7.2 million hectares. In addition, winter rapeseed was sown on 882,000 hectares (99%) with a projected area of 888,000 hectares.
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%.
