Astana, July 25 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan will have a tough time competing with Ukraine and Russia on the grain market for the current marketing year (July 2011-June 2012), the director of the Kazakh Agricultural Ministry's department for farm development and phytosanitary safety, Anna Buts, told journalists in Astana on July 25.
"Factoring in the condition of sowing operations in Russia and Ukraine, they expect large harvest, so the potential [for Kazakh grain export] might be large but opportunities for export might also decrease since it would be impossible to access the ports of the Black and Azov Seas because of uncompetitive pricing, among other reasons. The forecast for grain export will hinge on the harvest. We exported around 6 million tonnes for the 2010-2011 marketing year. We think that [the figure for the current marketing year] will be no less," she said.
Buts added that it would be difficult to provide a very concise project on the harvest now but said that it should be no less than the average rate for the last decade at around 16 million-17 million tonnes.
According to Buts, 98% of sowed territory in Kazakhstan is in good condition.
Kazakhstan’s grain harvest for 2010 came to 12.2 million tonnes in net weight.
