OREANDA-NEWS. June 03, 2010. The Ministry of Agrarian Policy predicts a harvest of cereals this year at 46-47 million tons. Minister of Agrarian Policy Mykola Prysyazhnyuk announced this today at a briefing in the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

"Today, we have 15 million hectares sown. Volumes of harvest forecast consist about 46-47 million tons", said the Minister.

Mykola Prysyazhnyuk noted that, according to the Ministry, sowing of spring sown cereals is in satisfactory condition. "Spring sown cereals are in good condition. Today, neither the Government nor the Ministry has provided for a contingency", he said.

The Minister said that in Ukraine as well as in neighbouring markets, particularly in Russia, there is still a problem of sufficiently high transient grain that may affect the price policy in the domestic market of Ukraine. He informed that the Minister of Agrarian Policy of the Russian Federation made a proposal to the Russian Government to boost financially grain exports from the country. "This is a bigger threat to us than our deads and a new harvest", said Mykola Prysyazhnyuk.

However, according to the Minister, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has already held a special meeting chaired by First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Andriy Klyuyev dedicated to the future harvest. At the meeting have been discussed such issues as cheaper fuels and lubricants for the period of harvest, as well as financial support for the Agrarian Fund of Ukraine for the purchase of grain transition remains within the country to prevent rapid shrink of purchasing prices for grain, dairy products and pork.