Grain harvest may drop to 27 million tons in 2007 – Melnyk
23.07.2007 08:06 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) —
This year Ukraine is very likely to harvest 27 million tons of grain against 34.3 million tons it had in 2006, Agricultural Policy Minister Yurii Melnyk told this at a Friday briefing in Kyiv. "Today, data we have obtained, suggest the figure will be 27 million tons," the minister said. Melnyk said that expected harvest of wheat will be about 11.7-12.6 million tons. He, however, hopes gross wheat harvest will exceed 12 million tons due to the regions, which did not suffer the drought. The minister noted that the expected harvest of barley is to be about 7 million tons and disclosed that today average yield of barley is only 13 metric centners/ha. “We hope that barley in forest-steppe regions and Polissia will be higher,” Melnyk put it. The minister also noted that the ministry is optimistic about harvest of late grain crops, particularly, corn. According to him, as of July 19, agrarian enterprises have harvested grain crops from 7.3 million ha or 65% of the plan, having threshed about 14.5 million tons. Average yield of grain crops is 20 metric centners/ha. 11.1 million tons of wheat were threshed and harvested from 4.8 million ha (87% of the plan). Barley was threshed at 50% of the planned areas; its gross harvest is at 2.9 million tons. Earlier the ministry forecasted grain harvest of 27-28 million tons. Reportedly, in May-early June, 10 million ha of sowing areas suffered drought. By estimate, 1.1 million ha perished as a result. Agrarian ministry estimates Ukraine needs 27 million tons of grain.
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