Ukraine Introduces Quotas on Grain Exports: Official

Ukraine's government has introduced quotas on grain exports to ensure the country's food safety, according to a senior official at parliament.

However, head of Ukrainian parliament's committee on agrarian policy and land relations Gregory Kaletnik gave no more details on the government's decision.

The news comes only two days after Deputy Economy Minister Anatoly Maksiuta said Tuesday that export quotas would be introduced only in the case of a threat to Ukraine's food security.

According to Ukrainian Interfax news agency reports, the country's grain traders said the export quotas would be in place until year's end and were 500,000 tons for wheat, 200,000 tons for barley and 3 million tons for corn.

Ukrainian lawmakers on Wednesday voted against the Communist Party's proposal to introduce a moratorium on grain exports, local media reported.

Ukraine, the world's leading exporter of barley, dropped proposals to impose grain export quotas in August, which had been drafted with a view to controlling domestic prices.

The Ministry of Agrarian Policy estimated in its latest forecasts the country's grain harvest this year would be 38.6 million tons, while annual domestic consumption would be 24 million tons.