The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, on Friday passed a law on the abolition of duties on exports of wheat and corn, but retained the duty on barley exports at 14%, but not less than EUR 23 per tonne.
Duties are introduced on the export of soybean and rapeseed at 3%, but not more than EUR 2 per tonne, and for sunflower oil at 3%, but not more than EUR 5 per tonne.
The duty on barley exports will remain in effect until the end of this year.
Representatives of political factions close to the current authorities have call this bill a compromise from the standpoint of maintaining budget revenues while minimizing costs to growers.
If the president signs it into law, it would take effect the day after official publication.
From this July 1 to next January 1, Ukraine has export duties on exports of wheat (9%, but not less than EUR 17 per tonne), of corn (12%, but not less than EUR 20 per tonne), and of barley (14%, but not less than EUR 23 per tonne).
The country’s Economic Development and Trade Ministry has drawn up a bill that would, if enacted, impose duties on the export of sunflower oil (10%, but not less than EUR 84 per tonne), of soybean (12%, but not less than EUR 33 per tonne), and of rapeseed (9%, but not less than EUR 15 per tonne).
The ministry has also suggested that the export duty on grain be extended to all of 2012.
A group of deputies, including the chairman of the parliament’s agrarian committee Hryhoriy Kaletnik, has put forward an initiative for lowering the export duties on grain and setting an export duty for wheat, barley, corn and rapeseed of 3%, but not over EUR 2 per tonne, and for sunflower oil of 3%, but no more than EUR 5 per tonne.
