The US expects a reduction in wheat production in Ukraine by 21%

Ukrainian wheat production in 2023-2024 will decrease by 21% compared to the previous year and will amount to about 16.5 million tons, follows from forecast US Department of Agriculture.

Expected volumes will be below the five-year average by 38%. Yields are projected at 3.84 tons per hectare, down 3% from last year, and the harvested area is expected to drop by 19% to 4.3 million hectares. This dynamic is linked to the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine, the document says.

Harvest of other grains will decrease to 28.6 million tons after 34 million tons and 53.5 million tons in the previous two years.

In July 2022, a grain deal was concluded by representatives of Turkey and the UN, on the one hand, and representatives of Russia and Ukraine, on the other. Separate agreements were signed with Moscow and Kiev: the first was for the export of Ukrainian grain from three ports, including Odessa, Yuzhny and Chernomorsk, the second was for assistance in the export of Russian grain and fertilizers. Moscow has repeatedly noted that the second part of the deal is not being implemented.

The last time the grain deal was extended in mid-March for two months, until May 18. On April 25, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the situation around the agreement had reached a dead end.

On May 11, the Turkish Defense Ministry reported that negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN would continue at a technical level in the near future. In turn, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin informedthat the grain deal will cease to exist unless a consensus is reached on the implementation of the terms of the second part of the agreement. According to him, Russia opposes the indefinite extension of the grain deal.