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Ukrainian lawmakers vote to lift ban on sale of farmland by 2020
Kiev | Reuters — Ukrainian lawmakers voted Wednesday to remove a ban on the sale of farmland for the first time in nearly two decades, a move supported by the country’s foreign backers that risks a political backlash. The proposal must be voted on a second time to come into force. The ban would be […] Read more

EU deal yet to bear fruit for Ukrainian exporters
Gorodok | Reuters — Ukraine’s Association Agreement with the European Union was meant to lure the bread basket of the former Soviet Union away from its longstanding ties with Russia by offering better access to the EU market. But debate about it was the spark that lit the Maidan street protests in 2013 and a […] Read more
Drought to shrivel Ukrainian wheat harvest in 2016
Kiev — Severe drought across half of Ukraine has hit winter sowing and could sharply reduce the country’s 2016 wheat harvest, a senior state weather forecaster said on Monday. The drought, in which the central Dnipropetrovsk region suffered its driest autumn in 50 years, could lead to a 20 per cent year-on-year fall in the wheat […] Read more
Russia, Ukraine may cut grain crop forecasts as temperatures rise
Moscow/Kiev | Reuters — Major Black Sea wheat exporters Russia and Ukraine may cut their official 2015 grain crop forecasts as recent hot weather has raised the risks to plants and rains elsewhere have delayed the harvest and dented quality, farmers and officials said. Russia and Ukraine’s agriculture ministries have said if hot weather persists […] Read more
Ukraine says no grain export curbs planned
Kiev | Reuters — Ukraine has no plans to restrict grain exports after Russia introduced curbs to stabilize surging prices, and will instead meet with traders to plan the year ahead in “normal operating mode,” Agriculture Minister Oleksiy Pavlenko said Saturday. Last month, Moscow announced it would introduce grain export duties of at least 35 […] Read more
Rain hits Ukrainian wheat quality
Kiev/Moscow | Reuters — Ukraine is set to produce more wheat for animal feed and less higher grade bread-making grain this year, as rain damage has shifted the global exporter’s quality balance, traders and analysts said. The altered backdrop is seen heaping further pressure on global prices, while also signalling tougher competition with other European […] Read more
Ukraine maize crop outlook cut as crisis takes toll
Kiev | Reuters — Crisis-hit Ukraine’s maize crop is expected to slump almost 20 per cent this year, a Reuters poll showed Wednesday, as farmers from the major global exporter feel the impact of reduced financing. As Ukraine teeters on the brink of dismemberment, the crisis has toughened lending conditions and some farmers have been […] Read more
Syrian buyer picks up first wheat cargo in weeks
A Syrian buyer has concluded a deal for 23,000 tonnes of milling wheat, the first commercial cargo to be booked in weeks as civil conflict and a financing crunch have held up deals, trade sources said on Friday. Syria faces its worst wheat harvest in nearly three decades as war rages, increasing pressure on the […] Read more
Ukraine winter wheat in good condition
Reuters / No more than 400,000 hectares of winter grain crops, or up to five per cent of the sown area, are likely to be reseeded this spring against 1.5 million hectares in 2012, a senior Agriculture Ministry official said Feb. 19. “We expect the reseeding of three to five per cent (of winter grain […] Read more
Ukraine to consider lifting wheat export curbs next month
Ukraine will decide next month whether to lift restrictions on wheat exports that were imposed after a poor harvest last year, Agriculture Minister Mykola Prysyazhnyuk said on Wednesday. The ministry has capped exports at 6.3 million tonnes in the current season, which runs to June 2013. "We could discuss the issue around April 10," Prysyazhnyuk […] Read more
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