Ukraine's grain harvest to reach 49.5 mln tons this year: forecast

KIEV, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine is forecast to have a grain harvest of about 49.5 million tons this year, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported Wednesday, citing a forecast by the Economy Ministry.

A Ukrainian serviceman searches for land mines in a wheat field in Donetsk region on October 7, 2022. (File photo: AFP)

While commenting on the forecast, Ukrainian First Deputy Economy Minister Denys Kudin said the projected harvest will enable Ukraine to fully cover its domestic demand for grain.

At the current stage, the ministry sees no need to restrict the exports of agricultural products from Ukraine, Kudin said.

As of Jan. 27, Ukrainian farmers reaped 52.6 million tons of grain and legumes of the 2022 harvest from 96 percent of sowed areas.

Ukraine for years has been a key global producer of wheat, corn and sunflower oil. In 2021, the country's harvest of cereals and legumes hit a record high of 84 million tons, up 28.5 percent year on year.

In the current marketing year, between July 1, 2022, and Jan. 30, 2023, Ukraine exported about 26.3 million tons of grain, down 30.8 percent from the same period of the previous marketing year.