Ukraine to export $ 17 billion worth of farm produce in 2012
2012-11-20 10:06:13
Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Prysiazhniuk in an interview with Ukrainian media, said: "For the first time this year we will have farm produce export of $17 billion." Ukraine has never exported such a large volume of products, UKRINFORM reported while quoting the minister. According to him the geography of exports has also expanded and for the first time in 20 years the country began to rapidly increase exports of vegetables, fruits and berries.
On November 14, 2012, an annex was signed to the memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and the exporters of grain, establishing the amount of wheat exports at 5.5 million tons. As noted, the future prospects for grain exports will be considered at the beginning of December 2012.
Ukraine has the opportunity to take a leading position in the global food market, President Viktor Yanukovych said during the Agriculture Day celebrations on November 15, 2012. "Today, the world population is more than 7 billion. And by 2042, it could rise to 9 billion. This will entail an increase in the demand for food by at least a third. This is a historic opportunity for Ukraine, and we must use it to take a leading role in the food market," he said.
Yanukovych emphasized that, according to international experts, Ukraine is one of the countries with opportunities for a decisive breakthrough in the agricultural sector. "It is envisaged that production in the domestic agricultural sector in the next 10 years will increase by about 30%." Ukraine harvested 43.4 million tons of grain from 14.1 million hectares as of November 12, 2012, or 95% of the planned areas. The average yield of grain in the country was 30.9 centners per hectare, while on the same date last year it was 34.4 centners per hectare, the press service of the Ukrainian Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry told UKRINFORM.
"By that date, farmers harvested 17.1 million tons of corn from 3.8 million hectares (85% of the planned areas). The average yield of this crop was 45.4 centners per hectare, whereas last year it was 60.6 centners per hectare. A total of 2.3 million tons of soybeans was harvested from 1.35 million hectares (94% of the areas). Its average yield was 16.8 centners per hectare, compared with last year's 20.3 centners per hectare. A total of 16.45 million tons of sugar beets were harvested from 418,000 hectares, or 91% of the areas. Their average yield was 394 centners per hectare, against 364 centners per hectare in 2011," the ministry said.
The grain harvest in Ukraine, according to the latest projections of the Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry, will be about 46.2 million tons this year, compared with a record 56.7-million-ton harvest last year.
The United States Department of Agriculture has raised the forecast for grain exports from Ukraine by 10.52%, or 2 million tons, to 21.01 million tons for the 2012/2013 marketing year (July 2012 through June 2013) compared to the October forecast. "The expected volume of wheat exports rose by 2 million tons, to 6 million tons, while that of coarse grains remained at 15.01 million tons," reads the statement.
The forecast for domestic consumption in November fell by 4.07%, or 0.5 million tons, to 11.8 million tons, compared with the October forecast.