News
04.03.2011
Ukraine Seed Imports Delayed by Customs Procedures, Group Says
Ukrainian customs procedures are delaying importation of grain and sugar-beet seeds for the spring sowing campaign, which may result in lower yields and smaller harvests, the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club Association and the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation said.
Importers haven’t received necessary permissions to ship the seeds “for a long time,” the industry groups said today in a joint e-mailed statement. They also raised the issue in a letter to Prime Minister Mykola Azarov.
A shortage of high-quality seeds may see this year’s grain harvest decline to 40 million metric tons, compared with an earlier estimate for 45 million to 47 million tons, according to the statement. Sugar beets may also have lower yields, they said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Kateryna Choursina in Kiev at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Claudia Carpenter at [email protected]
