Analyst UkrAgroConsult on Tuesday cut its forecast for Ukraine's 2018/19 barley harvest and exports, citing a smaller sowing area caused by a late spring. Ukraine is likely to harvest 7.75 million tonnes of barley this year, while exports would total 4.3 million tonnes, UkrAgroConsult said.
"This year has already been marked with the latest ever spring planting in Ukraine. In Ukraine, this delay is one month against last year. Taking into account the rapid buildup of warmth in Ukraine, growers are very short on time for planting," the consultancy said. UkrAgroConsult said it had cut its forecast for the 2018/19 July-June season barley sowing area by around 6 percent to 2.4 million hectares but said farmers could sow more maize and sunflower.
"If farmers seed a smaller area to spring barley we do not rule out that maize plantings will be expanded to 4.6 million hectares. Nonetheless, maize may also face acreage competition from sunflower," it said. Ukraine harvested 8.3 million tonnes of barley, 24.7 million tonnes of maize and 12.2 million tonnes of sunseed in 2017.
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