Ukraine to receive first polyethylene grain storage silos from partners soon - ministry

MOSCOW. June 21 (Interfax) - Ukraine will soon receive the first batch of sleeves for the temporary storage of agricultural crops, or mobile silos, the need for which has been prompted by current storage capacity shortages in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food asked the governments of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and European Union countries to provide mobile silos. The first batch of such grain storage sleeves is already being transported to Ukraine by vessels, the Ukrainian media quoted the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food as saying on its website on Monday.

These sleeves are long plastic bags, which allow up to 200,000 tonnes of grain to be stored right in the fields, the ministry said.

Furthermore, Ukraine is expected to receive another variant of mobile grain storage facilities, which are widespread in Canada and the U.S. - so-called temporary silos, which are large metal rings installed on an ordinary platform, the ministry said. Their surface is covered with a special waterproof material, while their top cover is a special canvas, which helps protect grain from environmental factors. One such silo can hold approximately 5,000 tonnes of grain.

A large number of Ukrainian farmers are currently buying mobile grain storage facilities, primarily grain storage sleeves, it said.

Ukrainian agricultural enterprises had around 75 million tonnes of grain storage capacity as of the end of February, the ministry said. Grain storage facilities with a total storage capacity of about ten million tonnes have been rendered inoperable during the conflict.