KIEV- Ukraine has increased wheat exports to Middle Eastern countries by 46 percent in the first four months of the current 2017/18 season to 829,100 tonnes despite strong competition from Russia, analyst APK-Inform said on Thursday.
Ukraine exported 569,400 tonnes of wheat to the region in the same period of the 2016/17 season, it said in a report.
The Middle East is a traditional destination for Ukrainian grain exports and this season it has absorbed around 3.2 million tonnes of various grains or 23 percent of total exports.
APK-Inform said the higher supplies to the Middle East were offset by decreased shipments to North Africa, Ukraine's second-largest export destination last season.
The agriculture ministry said on Thursday Ukraine had exported 18.6 million tonnes of grain so far this season compared with around 20 million in the same period last season.
The exports included 10.7 million tonnes of wheat, 3.7 million tonnes of barley and around 4.1 million tonnes of maize.
Ukraine has said it harvested 62.3 million tonnes of grain this year compared with a record 66 million in 2016. The season runs from July to June.
The ministry has said grain exports could reach 44 million to 45 million tonnes this year, exceeding the previous season's record of 43.9 million tonnes.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, editing by David Evans) ((pavel.polityuk@tr.com; +380 44 2449150; Reuters Messaging: pavel.polityuk.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
Ukraine exported 569,400 tonnes of wheat to the region in the same period of the 2016/17 season, it said in a report.
The Middle East is a traditional destination for Ukrainian grain exports and this season it has absorbed around 3.2 million tonnes of various grains or 23 percent of total exports.
APK-Inform said the higher supplies to the Middle East were offset by decreased shipments to North Africa, Ukraine's second-largest export destination last season.
The agriculture ministry said on Thursday Ukraine had exported 18.6 million tonnes of grain so far this season compared with around 20 million in the same period last season.
The exports included 10.7 million tonnes of wheat, 3.7 million tonnes of barley and around 4.1 million tonnes of maize.
Ukraine has said it harvested 62.3 million tonnes of grain this year compared with a record 66 million in 2016. The season runs from July to June.
The ministry has said grain exports could reach 44 million to 45 million tonnes this year, exceeding the previous season's record of 43.9 million tonnes.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, editing by David Evans) ((pavel.polityuk@tr.com; +380 44 2449150; Reuters Messaging: pavel.polityuk.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
