Ukraine govt urges grain exports despite stock decline
Grain stocks at agricultural facilities in Ukraine, apart from small ones, and at facilities that store and process grain, totalled 9 million tonnes as of July 1, 2013, which is 8% down on the same period last year, according to Ukraine’s State Statistics Service.
Wheat stocks amounted to 4.5 million tonnes, those of barley stood at 2.1 million tonnes, corn at 1.8 million tonnes, and rye at 200,000 tonnes.
Grain reserves at private agricultural facilities weighed in at 5.4 million tonnes as of July 1, which was 9% more than a year earlier, including 2.6 million tonnes of wheat, 1.4 million tonnes of barley, and one million tonnes of corn.
The statistic service’s figures indicate that sunflower seed reserves amounted to 800,000 tonnes as of July 1, which was 35% less year-over-year, including the 300,000 tonnes stored at agricultural facilities (the same as year-over-year).
At the same time the government welcomed the low grain stocks as it stabilises the price situation, so authorities will continue to stimulate grain export.
“The government will encourage the grain export of the new harvest”, agricultural policy and food minister Mykola Prysiazhniuk stated during a working visit to Kharkiv region. “The state helps relieve the internal market of grain by the Agrarian Fund. However, the export policy is one of the main methods to stabilize prices on the domestic market. That is why the government has stimulated its exports. The sale of grain abroad was increased by at least 1 million tonnes,” Prysiazhniuk noted.
The minister also noted that before the beginning of harvest, the government made everything possible in order to open a path for the domestic grain to enter the world markets.
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