NBU expects Ukraine's grain harvest to fall 15% to 46 mln tonnes in 2023

MOSCOW. Jan 27 (Interfax) - The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) expects the country's grain harvest to drop by 15% to 46 million tonnes in 2023, Ukrainian media reported, citing NBU deputy governor Sergei Nikolaichuk.

"For this year we do not rule out that the grain harvest will be about 46 million tonnes, and this is about 15% less than last year. For other crops, the situation is better. For some we don't rule out even more than last year, for some less," Nikolaichuk said on Thursday at a press briefing, a video of which was posted on YouTube.

He said the harvest was one of the factors that the NBU factored into its review of the GDP forecast and its forecasts for the trade balance and current account deficit.

Ukrainian farmers had harvested 77.3 million tonnes of key crops from 18.3 million hectares as of January 20, 2023, including 51.9 million tonnes of grains and grain legumes, the Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry was reported as saying earlier. The harvest had been cleared from 95% of the planned area.

The final harvest this season amounted to 20.2 million tonnes of wheat, 5.8 million tonnes of barley, 3.7 million tonnes of soybeans, 3.2 million tonnes of rapeseed, 269,000 tonnes of peas and 9 million tonnes of sugar beet. By January 20, the country had also harvested 24.4 million tonnes of corn, 10.5 million tonnes of sunflower seeds, 158,000 tonnes of buckwheat and 102,000 tonnes of millet.