Ukraine eliminates licensing of wheat exports, allows oat exports

MOSCOW. July 4 (Interfax) - Ukraine has excluded wheat and wheat/rye mix (meslin) from the list of goods that require a license to be exported.

The Cabinet made the decision at a meeting on Friday, Ukrainian media reported, citing the government's representative in parliament, Taras Melnichuk.

Oats and mineral and chemical nitrogen fertilizers have been excluded from quotas for goods, the export of which is subject to licensing, Melnichuk added on social media.

The Ukrainian government on March 7 expanded the list of goods for which the Economy Ministry must grant export permits, including wheat, corn, poultry meat, chicken eggs and sunflower oil in the list of goods requiring export licenses. Corn and sunflower oil were excluded from this list later in March, but wheat remained on it, despite requests from market participants.

Ukraine also imposed a ban, or zero quota on exports of oats on March 5. Exports of nitrogen fertilizers were also initially prohibited, but at the end of March the government allowed their export within a quota of 210,000 tonnes per quarter of 70,000 tonnes per month.

Ukraine increased grain exports by 23% month-on-month to 1.4 million tonnes in June. Corn accounted for 86% of this figure, wheat made up 10% and barley 3%.