You're reading: Azarov says government expects good grain harvest

The Ukrainian government expects a good harvest of grain crops and stable food prices, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has said.

"We expect a good harvest of grain crops and, consequently, stability in food prices," he told reporters in the village of Doslidnytske in Vasylkiv district, Kyiv region, on Friday.

Azarov said that stability in food prices could be achieved if there is a "sufficient" grain harvest, state grain reserves are envisaged and grain stocks are created at the regional level.

In May 2011, the Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry predicted the grain harvest in Ukraine this year at more than 45 million tons.

In early June 2011, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) improved its forecast for the grain harvest in Ukraine this year by 550,000 tons compared to the May 2011 forecast, to 43.9 million tonnes.