Wheat harvest in Ukraine in 2023 to be much lower than average - FAO forecast

MOSCOW. April 11 (Interfax) - The global wheat production in 2023 will reach 786 million tonnes, which is 1.3% lower than last year's figure, and the wheat harvest in Ukraine will be significantly below average, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has revised its March forecast.

The Ukrainian media reported, citing information from FAO, that there is a moderate increase in annual wheat production in the European Union due to the expansion of cultivated areas and generally good conditions in the early spring, despite the drought in some parts of Italy, Portugal and Spain.

The economic effects of the crisis in Ukraine, including low selling prices, have discouraged many farmers from planting wheat. As a result, the wheat harvest in 2023 is expected to be much lower than average, along with pockets of drought in the southeast.