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Ukrainian farmers over the first four months of the 2017-2018 marketing year (MY, July 2017-June 2018) exported 829,100 tonnes of wheat to the Middle Eastern countries, which was 46% up year-over-year (y-o-y), according to APK-Inform agency's press service.
"The countries of the Middle East have traditionally been key markets for Ukrainian grain. Wheat shipments in this direction have increased in the current season even despite high competition from Russia. Thus, in July-October of MY 2017-2018, Ukraine exported 829,100 tonnes of wheat to the Middle East, which was 46% up against the same period of the previous season [569,400 tonnes]," the agency said in a statement.
Read alsoAgriculture ministry improves Ukraine’s grain forecast
In the current marketing year, North Africa ranks third, as its grain imports from Ukraine account for 15% of total shipments of Ukrainian grain, according to the experts.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) raised by 0.5 million tonnes, to 17 million tonnes, its forecast for wheat exports from Ukraine in MY 2017-2018 compared to the November forecast.
In total, Ukraine’s grain harvest in 2017 will amount to 61.49 million tonnes, including 26.5 million tonnes of wheat, according to the USDA.
At the same time, the Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry predicts Ukraine's farmers could harvest 62.3 million tonnes of grain in 2017.
Ukrainian agribusinesses in MY 2016-2017 exported 43.8 million tonnes of grain, which was a record high over Ukraine's independence. At the same time, revenue from grain exports increased by 6%, to $6.4 billion, the ministry said.
The previous record of grain exports at 39.4 million tonnes was reported in the 2015-2016 MY.
Ukraine harvested 65.95 million tonnes of grain and leguminous crops in 2016, which was 9.7% up from 2015, and a record high over the country's independence, according to the State Statistics Service.