Ukraine resumed wheat exports in March, selling abroad 136,900 tonnes and making the largest shipment so far this season under the terms of a quota of 200,000 tonnes, a top analyst said on Monday.
ProAgro agriculture consultancy said in a statement traders also boosted maize exports to 349,500 tonnes last month from 4,600 tonnes in February and resumed barley sales with 241,400 tonnes.
In June 2007, the government banned grain exports from July 1 to January 1 in anticipation of a fall in the 2007 grain crop to 29.3 million tonnes from 34.25 million in 2006. In October, the government introduced export quotas from January 1, 2008 to March 31. It allowed exports of 400,000 tonnes of barley, 200,000 of wheat and 3,000 of rye.
Last week, the government cancelled export restrictions for maize from April 1 to July 1 and prolonged quotas for wheat, barley and rye to April 30, leaving export volumes unchanged. Agriculture Minister Yuri Melnyk told Reuters last week the government planned this month to consider extending and increasing the current quotas.