* Ukraine grain crop may fall to 38 million tonnes in 2010
* Customs service delays grain exports from Ukraine
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KIEV, Sept 28 (Reuters) - The Ukrainian government will next week consider whether or not to introduce any restrictions on grain exports, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said on Tuesday.
"Next week the government will make a decision on measures to regulate exports if that is necessary or (to allow) free exports," Azarov told journalists on the fringes of a conference.
Ukraine's 2010 grain crop is likely to fall to about 38 million tonnes from 46 million in 2009 after a severe drought hit grain producing areas. The former Soviet republic consumes about 26 million tonnes of grain per season.
Earlier this month the government cut its forecast for the 2010/11 season's grain exports to 12.7 million tonnes from the previous outlook of 13.8 million tonnes due to a fall in maize output.
Ukraine, which forecast grain exports at 20 million-24 million tonnes in early summer, cut the outlook to 20 million in June and to 15-16 million in July. Ukraine exported 21.5 million tonnes of grain in 2009/10.
After Russia, another leading grain producer in the Black Sea region, introduced a grain export ban in August, the Ukrainian government proposed imposing grain export quotas, though it then said that a final decision would be made only in October.
In early September Azarov said Ukraine would not introduce any limits on grain exports because the country had enough grain to cover domestic needs and export demands.
But traders have said they are unable to ship grain abroad as the customs service is implementing de facto curbs on exports by holding up shipments in Black Sea and Azov Sea ports.
Ukraine exported 2.09 million tonnes of grain in the first two months of the 2010/11 season compared to 3.97 million in the same period in 2008/09. (Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov; Writing by Pavel Polityuk; editing by Anthony Barker)