KIEV: Ukraine is expected to harvest 24.2 million tonnes of wheat in 2017, analyst UkrAgroConsult said on Wednesday, raising its forecast from 23.5 million tonnes.

The wheat crop could reach 25-26 million tonnes if there are favourable weather conditions.

Wheat exports are expected to reach 14.5 million tonnes in 2017/18 compared to 16 million in 2016/2017, UkrAgroConsult said.

“Better-than-expected weather allows us to increase our expectations for the 2017 wheat harvest,” UkrAgroConsult analyst Yelizaveta Malyshko told Reuters.

In 2016, Ukraine harvested 26 million tonnes of wheat with the average yield of 4.21 tonne per hectare.

UkrAgroConsult raised its 2017 grain crop forecast to 60.9 million tonnes from 60.2 million. In 2016, the harvest totalled a record 66 million tonnes.

The harvest could include 25.5 million tonnes of maize and 8.5 million tonnes of barley. Last year Ukraine harvested 28 million tonnes of maize and 9.4 million tonnes of barley.

The consultancy said less favourable weather and a smaller harvesting area was the reason for the lower grain harvest outlook.

UkrAgroConsult said a smaller would cause a fall in grain exports in the 2017/18 July-June season to 38.8 million from 40.3 million in 2016/17.

Maize exports could total 19 million tonnes in 2017/18 versus 18.5 million the year before, UkrAgroConsult said.

The export of barley is likely to decrease to 4.4 million tonnes from 5.2 million tonnes in 2016/17.—Reuters