Drought hits Ukraine grain industry

The drought in late May and early June affected large farming areas in the
ex-Soviet country. “Forecasts vary: losses are estimated to reach between 7 and
10 million metric tons,” Anatoly Kinakh said.

The agriculture minister
in Ukraine’s Crimea, Pavlo Akimov, said earlier that temperatures of up to 35
degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and soil temperatures of up to 46
degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit) in May, as well as a lack of rainfall,
had damaged winter and spring grain crops, in particular barley, oats, and grain
legumes.

The economics minister said the government had recently adopted
a resolution on food procurements for 2007-2008 and minimizing the drought’s
consequences. The country stocked up on food resources before the 2007 harvest,
and there will not be a bread shortage, he said. Ukraine is expected to harvest
about 30 million metric tons of grain this year.