KIEV, Aug. 2 – Ukraine suspended exports of gain after the government suddenly ordered additional license requirements amid concerns that extremely hot weather may reduce domestic grain output.

Departures of ships loaded with grain have been delayed at Black Sea ports since late July wrecking havoc on grain traders, who suffer financial losses, industry analysts said.

The situation appears to be so tense that Deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Tyhypko on Monday held an emergency meeting with grain exporters and state agencies seeking to unblock the exports.

Ukraine, the world’s third biggest exporter of grain after the U.S. and the European Union, earns much of its hard currency revenue from exporting grain.

Any restrictions on exports imposed by the government may trigger criticism from the International Monetary Fund, which has been insisting on free exports of goods and commodities from Ukraine.

Tyhypko, who is in charge of talks with the IMF, appears to be against the grain exports restrictions, suggesting that the measures had been approved without his knowledge.

“Any decisions by the authorities that have led to the illegal delays in exports of grain shipments must be canceled immediately,” Tyhypko told the meeting on Monday.

The exports were suspended late July after the State Customs Committee had issued a new requirement obliging traders to obtain yet another license from the authorities before exporting the grain.

“The ships loaded with grain have been delayed at Ukrainian ports,” the Ukrainian Grain Association reported in a statement. “The grain companies incur losses worth hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars. The grain trading has been disorganized in Ukraine.”

The measure comes as grain prices on world markets have been steadily increasing amid concerns that extremely hot weather and drought in Russia, but also in some regions of Ukraine and Kazakhstan, may reduce grain output from the region.

The weather phenomenon has caused significant damage across Russia and may turn the country into a net grain importer, increasing world-wide demand for grain.

Tyhypko sought to calm down fears that Ukraine’s grain output may be affected by the extremely hot weather this year.

Ukraine is expected to produce about 40 million metric tons of grain in the 2010-2011 marketing season, which will be enough to “completely meet its domestic demand and to export about 17 million metric tons of grain,” Tyhypko said.

UGA last month forecast the country’s grain output at 42 million metric tons in 2010-2011 marketing season with grain exports at between 16 million metric tons and 18 million metric tons.

Ukraine exported 21.2 million metric tons of grain in 2009-2010 marketing season to become the world’s third largest grain exporter after the U.S. and the EU, according to UGA.

Russia exported 21.1 million metric tons and was the world’s fourth biggest grain exporter in 2009-2010 marketing season. (tl/ez)