America is the world's largest food exporter.But the worst drought in half a centuryis hitting corn and wheat harvests.The drought across the central United Statesadds to concerns about world food suppliesand prices in the coming years.Experts say by twenty-fifty, the world will have to produce at leastsixty percent more foodto feed a population growing bigger and richer.China, a major food importer, is looking to producersaround the world to guarantee future food supplies.China has invested in food productionin Australia and New Zealand.A new source of supply is Ukraine.Ukraine was known as the breadbasket of Europebecause of rich corn and wheat harvests a century ago.(SOUND)Galyna Kovtok is chief executive of Ukraine'slargest agricultural business, ULF.She predicts that within a few monthsher company will be approved to export corn to China.That will make Ukraine the first countryoutside the Americas to do so.ULF will soon have almosttwo million tons of elevator storage capacityas it prepares for the Chinese market.Chinese money is financing the building of six grain elevators.But the company's equipment is largely American,including half-million-dollar John Deere combines to harvest wheat.ULF's grain production per hectareis now halfway between Ukrainian averagesand the high yields of the American Midwest.But farming depends on the weather.Across the Black Sea region-- in Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan-- drought this year is pushing harvests downby fifteen to twenty percent.Traditionally, the Black Sea region is the main source of wheatfor North Africa and the Middle East.But this year, on the supply side,Russia may have to suspend exports.And, on the demand side, Africa and the Middle Eastare now competing with China.At the same time, a new report says large parts of Asiamay face long periods of severe drought within ten years.The report is from the British-based Center for Low Carbon Futures,a network of universities.It says northern China, India, Afghanistan,Mongolia and Pakistan will be especially hard hit.It says other parts of Asia are likely to face longerand wetter monsoon seasons because of climate change.Andrew McConville works for the agriculturaltechnology company Syngenta.He says a lack of new investment in technologyto help farmers improve productivity has had an effect.ANDREW McCONVILLE: "You really start to see, if you like,all of those things come together,laid over the top of very high prices as well,so you almost had a perfect storm of factors coming together."And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.