REUTERS
In particular, the forecast for maize harvest grew from 34.3 million tonnes to 36.8 million tonnes.
Experts from the Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA) have raised their forecast in an April report for grain and oilseed yield in Ukraine in the 2020-2021 marketing year (MY, July 2020 - June 2021) from 92.6 million tonnes to 94 million tonnes, as well as for relevant exports from 55.6 million tonnes to 57.2 million tonnes, compared with the March forecast.
In particular, the forecast for maize harvest grew from 34.3 million tonnes to 36.8 million tonnes, while for maize exports it improved from 27.5 million tonnes to 30 million tonnes, the Association's press service said on April 2.
"Thus, Ukraine in MY 2020-2021 may well break its own record in the current MY, when 35.2 million tonnes has been harvested, with exports of about 28.5 million tonnes," the report said.
Experts say the outlook for the harvest and exports of wheat in the next marketing year has not changed compared to the March report, so they may reach 25.8 million tonnes and 18 million tonnes, respectively. It is noted that Ukraine in 2019 had a record high harvest of wheat at 8.2 million tonnes, whereas it is planned to export 20.2 million tonnes of wheat in MY 2019-2020.
However, the UGA revised downward the forecast for barley harvest from 7.96 million tonnes to 6.8 million tonnes, while the exports outlook slid from 4.5 million tonnes to 3.5 million tonnes. Experts remind that in the current MY, Ukraine has produced 9 million tonnes of barley, with possible exports of about 4.6 million tonnes.
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In the current marketing year, Ukraine has produced 98 million tonnes of grain and oilseeds, whereas their shipments abroad may reach 60 million tonnes, the press service said.
The Association notes that the forecast for lower harvest of grain and oilseeds in 2020 against the current season does not change the last three years' upward trend, when Ukraine harvested over 90 million tonnes of the crops.
"In the medium term, gross harvest in Ukraine will approach 100 million tonnes, and it will be growing," the press service added.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian agribusinesses continued shipping grain abroad amid quarantine over the COVID-19 coronavirus, having exported 46.04 million tonnes of grain from July 1, 2019, the start of MY 2019-2020, to April 1, 2020.
In particular, Ukraine exported 17.29 million tonnes of wheat, 4.1 million tonnes of barley, 21.71 million tonnes of maize, and 5,000 tonnes of rye.