A severe drought in certain parts of Ukraine’s grain exporting regions could hit exports heavily next year. 

Last month, the Minister of Agriculture, Alex Pavlenko said that exports might be hit by 10%.

Now, according to reports, the central Dnipropetrovsk region has suffered its driest autumn in 50 years that could knock exports by as much as 20% in 2016. Recent weeks of dry weather has meant that only 86% of the expected area has been sowed.

The news will come as a bitter blow as Ukraine desperately tries to pull itself out of a deep economic crisis.

The country is the third largest exporter of grain in the world according to Pavlenko, only behind that of the United States and the European Union.