Favourable weather conditions have boosted Ukraine 's late - sown maize crop , potentially leading to a record harvest of 27 - 30 million tonnes , according to acting Agriculture Minister Maksym Martyniuk . An additional 10 % of the grain could be shipped to China as a trade spat with the US Weather conditions have favored crops sown late in the season this year and a strong maize crop may compensate for a drop in the 2018 wheat harvest, which is likely to decrease by 12-16 percent to 22-23 million tonnes due to poor weather. allows the Asian nation to seek alternative suppliers , Martyniuk said . Ukraine has already shipped 2.6 million tonnes to China in the 2017 - 2018 period . The production boost could offset a smaller - than - expected 2015 harvest , which was reduced by between 12 % and 16 % to about 23 million tonnes by bad weather .
Favourable weather conditions have boosted Ukraine 's late - sown maize crop , potentially leading to a record harvest of 27 - 30 million tonnes , according to acting Agriculture Minister Maksym Martyniuk . An additional 10 % of the grain could be shipped to China as a trade spat with the US allows the Asian nation to seek alternative suppliers , Martyniuk said . Ukraine has already shipped 2.6 million tonnes to China in the 2017 - 2018 period . The production boost could offset a smaller - than - expected 2015 harvest , which was reduced by between 12 % and 16 % to about 23 million tonnes by bad weather .