News
31.08.2010
Ukraine to face buckwheat deficit – anti-monopoly committee
Ukraine’s anti-monopoly committee said the situation on the buckwheat market is explained by objective factors, the committee’s chairman, Alexei Kostusev, told a roundtable meeting.
Every year Ukraine reduces buckwheat crop areas and the buckwheat harvest also declines.
“In 2010 the crop areas for buckwheat production totalled 215,000 hectares as against 273,000 hectares in 2009 and 425,000 hectares in 2005,” he said.
This year’s buckwheat output will comprise 160,000 tonnes, which will allow to produce 90,000 tonnes of buckwheat grain.
Experts say Ukraine’s annual domestic consumption of buckwheat is 150,000 tonnes.
“Taking into account experts’ forecasts Ukraine will face the deficit of buckwheat,” Kostusev said.
He noted that earlier Ukraine imported buckwheat from Russia, which forced Ukraine’s buckwheat producers to reduce prices for this crop.
“This year Russia also faces the buckwheat deficit,” he said.
Kostusev said the anti-monopoly committee submitted several proposals to the country’s president and prime minister to stabilize the situation on the domestic buckwheat market.
The committee proposes to regulate crop rotation and buy for the production reserves no less than 10 percent of the buckwheat annual consumption, i.e. no less than 15,000 tonnes.
Moreover, the committee calls for controlling buckwheat prices from producing and packaging companies to retail networks.
itar-tass
