|
Experts Forecast Decrease Of Grain Crops By 23% To 30 Million Tons In 2003
17.04.2003 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) - In 2003, experts of the agricultural market forecast that grain’s harvest will decrease by 23% to 30 million tons, compared with 2002. Market experts informed Ukrainian News of this matter. In the opinion of analysts, grain production will fall, first of all, as a result of decrease in wheat production, majority of sown areas of which perished because of bad weather during winter months. According to the analysts, wheat production will not exceed 12.5 million tons in 2003. "Twelve, maybe 12.5 million tons of grain," said director of the company Pro-Agro Mykola Vernytskyi. At the same time some analysts forecast production of wheat not exceeding 10.5 million tons. In the words of the director of the company Sun Grain Oleh Levchenko, wheat harvest in 2003 will fall to 10.3 million tons. At the same time experts say that barley production will remain at the level of 2002, or will slightly increase, compared with 2002, on account of increase of sown lands, and will total 12 million tons. Farmers intend to reseed about 4 million hectares of perished winter grain prevalently with barley. Experts also forecast increase of peas production to 1 million tons on account of reseeding of part of perished winter crops with leguminous plants. Analysts also don’t rule out improvement of forecast of grain production in case of improvement of climatic conditions. As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Minister of Agricultural Policy Serhii Ryzhuk forecasts that grain harvest may reduce by 17.5-22.7% to 30-32 million tons, if more than 20% winter crops perish. In 2002 farmers grew 38.792 million tons of grain, which is 2.3%, or 0.914 million tons less than in 2001. (Ukrainian News)
Also available:
|
| |
|
|