Wheat reserves in Ukraine enough for six months – PM Shmyhal

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said wheat reserves in Ukraine will be enough for six months, while export restrictions threaten the loss of Ukrainian agri-businesses' foreign currency earnings.

"As for wheat, we have a six-month stock for consumption in Ukraine until a new harvesting campaign starts. We are working with farmers and agricultural companies, and we analyze weekly how to conduct a grain export policy. And if we do not export to the extent that we must, with a six-month stock, which is definitely enough, there will be ending stocks that will be thrown away, and agricultural companies will lose foreign currency earnings and the budget [will fall short of revenue]," he said during a Q&A hour on May 13.

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The prime minister stressed the government daily monitors food supplies in Ukraine and quotas for exports or imports.

Shmyhal added the government expects an improvement in the forecast for the future crop due to the rains in Ukraine.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine approved the ceiling for wheat exports in 2019-2020 MY at the level of 20.2 million tonnes.

As of May 8, 2020, Ukraine exported 19.2 million tonnes of wheat.