Ukraine increased wheat exports through seaports to about 180,300 tonnes in March 1-20 from 139,700 tonnes in the same period in February, analysts said on Friday, quoting data from ports. Ukraine harvested a record 17.52 million tonnes of wheat in 2004 compared with a record low 3.6 million in 2003. The ProAgro agriculture consultancy said feed wheat dominated exports.
It said Ukraine exported 79,600 tonnes of feed and 19,800 tonnes of milling wheat to Spain, 17,100 tonnes of feed wheat to Italy, 23,100 tonnes of milling wheat to Tunisia, 15,500 tonnes of feed wheat to Algeria and 12,900 tonnes of milling wheat to Albania and 12,300 tonnes of wheat to other states.
"In conditions of limited barley supply to the local market, traders have started dealing with wheat. A rise in world wheat prices is an additional reason for higher exports," ProAgro said. Analysts said traders were likely to export an additional 160,000 tonnes of wheat in the coming weeks.
Ukraine exported a total of eight million tonnes of grain in the first eight months of the 2004/05 July-June season compared to about 1.86 million in the same period last season.
Analysts said wheat exports had totalled 3.1 million tonnes. Ukraine exported 219,300 tonnes in February, 333,900 in January and 556,300 in December.