KIEV, UKRAINE — Ukraine does not anticipate grain export restrictions during the first two months of the 2021-22 marketing year which began July 1, an agriculture ministry official told Reuters on July 5.

Farm Minister Roman Leschenko told Reuters that the ministry and farm associations had signed a traditional annual grain memorandum to attempt to form a “predictable export regime.”

He noted that export volumes would be determined by the ministry, traders and domestic consumers by Aug. 30.

In 2020-21, as the global COVID-19 pandemic raged, Ukraine imposed an export limit of 17.5 million tonnes of wheat and 24 million tonnes of corn to secure supplies for the domestic market.

With the pandemic now subsiding, Ukraine is projected to produce a record grain crop of 76 million tonnes this year, which paints a more optimistic picture for exports.

There is some concern, however, that dry weather in parts of Ukraine could drop that number lower, APK-Inform told Reuters.

Ukraine exported 44.6 million tonnes of grain in 2020-21 out of a total harvest of 65 million tonnes. Exports were down 22% from the previous year.