Ukraine faces no grain shortage: agriculture ministry

KIEV, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine does not face a shortage of grain despite a projected harvest decline, the country's Agriculture Ministry said on Tuesday.

"Ukraine faces no danger of grain shortage, as it is physically impossible: production is almost five times higher than domestic consumption," the ministry said in a statement.

According to Ukraine's Deputy Agriculture Minister Markiyan Dmytrasevych, last year, Ukraine produced some 106 million tons of grain, legumes and oilseeds, while the country's domestic consumption stood at 20 million tons.

This year, the domestic demand for grain in Ukraine would further decline as many people left the country due to the conflict with Russia, Dmytrasevych said.

Ukraine is ready to export some 22 million tons of grain and oilseeds from last year's harvest, the official added.

On Monday, Ukraine's First Deputy Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi said that the country's grain, legumes and oilseeds harvest may drop by 40 percent to about 65 million tons this year.