Ukraine in 2022 would increase grain and oilseeds production from 90 million tonnes in 2018 to 100 million tonnes, President of the Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA) Mykola Horbachev has said. “We expect that by 2022 Ukraine will increase the production of grain and oilseeds to 100 million tonnes, exports will be up to 70 million tonnes. By this time, the port capacity will be enough to unload these volumes,” he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“This year we already have more than 90 million tonnes. This season we expect a record grain yield thanks to corn. We had 6 tonnes per hectare in good years before, and this year we already have 7.8 tonnes from 1 ha. We are approaching normal rates. For example, in the United States, the average corn yield is 11 tonnes per ha,” Horbachev said.
At the same time, according to him, next year we can expect a slight decline in cereal production, since the record corn harvest may not repeat.
“We predict a total grain and oilseed harvest of 92 million tonnes. If next year the corn harvest is usual, this figure will decrease by almost 9 million tonnes. But this is more associated with corn. We expect the same (that is, usual) harvest for major crops, since the acreage has not changed,” the president of the UGA said.
According to him, the export of grain without processing products for the current year is planned at the level of 52-52.5 million tonnes. However, companies may have difficulties with timely delivery of grain to ports due to difficulties with Ukrzaliznytsia.
“We can work at the level of 5 million tonnes of exports per month. But it must somehow be predicted: about 6 million tonnes of corn were sold in October-November, but it is not a fact that it will have time to get to the port. Thus, some companies had a situation when they could not ensure the availability of cargo in the port. They purchased grain in Argentina or Brazil and supplied it from those countries, not from Ukraine,” Horbachev said.
The annual port grain handling capacity in 2018 would grow by 6 million tonnes, reaching 49.9 million tonnes, the Ukrainian Sea Port Authority has reported. “This year, the construction of three more grain terminals was completed at the ports of Yuzhny, Berdiansk and Olvia. They will increase annual modern grain transshipment capacity by another 6 million tonnes,” Head of the administration of the Yuzhny branch of the Ukrainian Sea Port Authority Maksym Shyrokov said.
He recalled that over the past five agricultural years, the volume of grain exports through the seaports of Ukraine has almost doubled, from 22.1 million tonnes to 43.9 million tonnes, and in total 52 grain terminals operate in the ports of Ukraine. According to him, the construction of transshipment complexes, terminals, reconstruction and construction of berths continues in Mykolaiv, Chornomorsk, Odesa, Mariupol and Yuzhny ports.
The countries of Asia, the Middle East and North Africa remain the main destinations for grain export deliveries through Ukrainian ports, while the EU countries reduce grain imports from Ukraine, Shyrokov said.
Ukraine since the beginning of the 2018/2019 marketing year (MY, July-June) and as of November 21 had exported 16.58 million tonnes of grain, which is almost 4.9% more than on the same date of the previous MY.
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, the country exported 8.8 million tonnes of wheat, 3 million tonnes of barley, and 4.4 million tonnes of corn.
In addition, 82,500 tonnes of flour had been exported on that date.
As reported, with reference to the ministry, Ukraine exported 39.4 million tonnes of grain in the 2017/2018 MY. Grain exports in the 2018/2019 MY are projected to be 42.5 million tonnes.
Ukraine as of November 13 had threshed 65.1 million tonnes of grain and leguminous crops from the area of 14.1 million hectares (95% of the forecast) with the yield being 46.1 centners per ha. According to the website of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, farmers harvested 34.3 million tonnes of early grain and leguminous crops from 9.9 million hectares with a yield of 34.8 centners per ha, 30 million tonnes of corn from 4 million hectares (87%) with a yield of 75.4 centners/ha, 135,000 tonnes of buckwheat from 107,000 hectares (99%) with a yield of 12.6 centners/ha, 78,000 tonnes of millet from 51,000 hectares (98%) with the yield being 15.4 centners/ha.
In addition, 13.7 million tonnes of sunflower were harvested from 6 million hectares (99%) with a yield of 22.7 centners per ha, 4.3 million tonnes of soybeans from 1.7 million hectares (98%) with a yield of 25.7 centners/ha, and 2.7 million tonnes of rapeseeds from one million hectares with a yield of 26.1 centners/ha.
Sugar beets were threshed in the amount of 12.6 million tonnes from an area of 256,000 hectares (92%) with the yield standing at 492 centners/ha.
Along with harvesting, the autumn sowing campaign is underway. Thus, the farmers have sowed 7.1 million hectares with winter grains with the projected area being 7.2 million hectares, as well as one million hectares of winter rapeseeds (116% of the projected area).
Ukraine since the beginning of the 2018/2019 marketing year (MY, July-June) and as of October 31 had exported 13.285 million tonnes of grain, which is 0.6% less than on the same date of the previous MY.
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, farmers produced about 7.54 million tonnes of wheat, 2.69 million tonnes of barley, and 2.8 million tonnes of corn.
In addition, 65,700 tonnes of flour had been exported on the specified date.
As reported, with reference to the ministry, Ukraine exported 39.4 million tonnes of grain in the 2017/2018 MY. Grain export in the 2018/2019 MY is projected to be 42.5 million tonnes.
Ukraine’s Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry has repeatedly reviewed the grain harvest of 2018 upwards – from 63.1 million tonnes to 64 million tonnes, First Deputy Minister Maksym Martyniuk has said. “As a result of the rains, we have very good indicators for corn. And today we are ready to voice a bold forecast that we will have a gross grain harvest of 64 million tonnes,” he said during the “Money, Go!” program broadcasted on the Novoye Vremia radio.
Martyniuk said that this is the second result in history after the year before last’s record of 66 million tonnes. In addition, the ministry reviewed the outlook for grain exports from Ukraine by 0.5 million tonnes to 42.5 million tonnes, adding that the achievement of this indicator largely depends on the ability of Ukrzaliznytsia to quickly solve current logistical problems and ensure a rhythmic supply of grain in ports. According to the ministry, as of October 19, 52.2 million tonnes of grain were harvested in Ukraine from an area of 12.7 million hectares (86%) with a yield of 4.11 tonnes per hectare.
The grain harvest in Ukraine in 2017 amounted to 61.3 million tonnes. Ukraine in 2017/2018 agricultural year exported 39.4 million tonnes of grain.
