The Ukrainian government plans to restrict grain exports until late 2010 to ensure the food security of the country through the introduction of a quota of 2.5 million tonnes of grain, according to Agriculture Minister Mykola Prysiazhniuk.
"Tomorrow, the cabinet is to consider the issue of quotas agreed with grain traders. We propose to export 2.5 million tonnes by the end of this year," he said at a meeting with representatives of the Ukrainian Agrarian Union held in Kyiv on Tuesday, August 17.
He said that another one million tonnes of grain that has already been sent to ports would be exported, and the quota would not apply to corn.
Export quotas are anticipated for barley (1 million tonnes) and wheat (1.5 million tonnes). There will be additional details provided for fodder and food-grade groups, he said.
September 1 is the suggested date for the start of the quotas, Prysiazhniuk said.
Since the start of the current agricultural year (July 1 to August 16), 2.69 million tonnes of grain have already been exported, including 1.2 million tonnes of barley and 1.1 million tonnes of wheat.
