Ukraine will maintain a high level of food exports

Lead: Kiev, April 16 (Reuters) - Ukraine plans to continue exporting millions of tons of food to Europe and Asia next year in an effort to maintain its position as a major food exporter, analysts said on Tuesday Although food production decreased in 2002 / 03, it did not affect the export expectations As the grain output reached 39.7 million tons in 2001, the grain export this year reached a new high So far, Ukraine has exported 7 million tons of food to Europe and Asia, which is higher than the export volume of 2 million tons last year According to the Ukrainian agricultural consulting company, Ukrainian grain exports are expected to reach between 8.5 million tons and 9 million tons in 2001 / 02 From July 2001 to March 2002, Ukraine exported 7.7 million tons of food, including 5 million tons of wheat But prices will be a key factor in determining whether Ukraine can meet its export targets Analysts at proagro said that at present, the grain stocks available for export are still large, and there are still 2 million tons of wheat, including 1 million tons to 1.5 million tons of feed wheat However, due to the high domestic prices and low export prices, Ukraine's export capacity may be weakened in the next few months Analysts say the farm price of Ukrainian feed wheat is $61.9 per ton, compared with $50.7 to $56.3 per ton quoted by foreign buyers for a hundred years At current prices, Ukraine will not be able to enter the feed wheat business that South Korea is bidding for A trader at a company in Kiev said that if the wheat needed by South Korea is to be provided, the domestic wheat farm price will fall to $52.6 per ton, and there is no such low price now So Ukraine is likely to sell wheat to its neighbors Analysts expect that in 2002 / 03, Ukraine's grain exports will reach 5-6 million tons, and domestic grain production is expected to reach 35-36 million tons Official data forecast production of 36.6 million tons and export of 7 million tons However, according to Ukrainian agricultural consulting company, the grain output in 2002 / 03 is expected to be 36 million tons, including 18 million tons of wheat and 9 million tons of barley, and 5 million tons of grain can be exported Analysts say Ukraine will export at least one million tons of feed wheat to EU countries in 2002 / 03, such as Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece In addition, Ukraine is likely to export 3 million tons of feed wheat to North Africa and Asia in 2002 / 03 In addition, it is possible to supply 1.5 million tons of barley to Saudi Arabia.