(Updates with planting figures in third paragraph, barley in fourth.)

Oct. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Ukraine’s winter wheat plantings declined by 2.2 percent to 6.32 million hectares (15.6 million acres) as of today, the country’s Agriculture Ministry said.

That compared with 6.46 million hectares a year earlier, the ministry said by e-mail. The plantings fell short of a government forecast of 6.56 million hectares, according to the statement.

Total winter grains planting declined to 7.78 million hectares compared with 7.87 million hectares.

Winter barley planting rose to 1.13 million hectares from 1.08 million hectares a year earlier, the ministry said.

--Editors: John Deane, Claudia Carpenter

To contact the reporter on this story: Kateryna Choursina in Kiev at kchoursina@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Claudia Carpenter at ccarpenter2@bloomberg.net