Clash of interests with neighboring European countries will not prevent Ukraine from selling corn to the EU

Ukraine needs to enhance agricultural trade with the European Union for goods that were partially liberalized before the war, stated Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Representative of Ukraine, during the Black Sea Grain 2025 conference.

“Here, it’s crucial to understand one thing. Often, free trade agreements outline theoretical legal frameworks rather than practical trade conditions. For example, in our free trade agreement with the European Union, since negotiations in 2009-2010, a tariff quota for corn exports was set at 650,000 tons, with a duty of over 100 euros per ton. These are just legal frameworks. Such a duty has never been applied, and trade volumes have never been limited to that quota. In reality, we’ve always exported more,” Kachka explained.

According to him, before Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine exported a record 14 million tons of corn to the EU in 2021.

“The EU’s actual tariff policy reflected a balance for corn, with the duty on corn imports from any country set at zero. The figures and import balance in the EU reflect real demand and interest in corn, as well as which country’s corn is the most popular,” Kachka noted.

He emphasized that the EU’s demand for corn imports exceeds Ukraine’s exports, reaching at least 20-22 million tons.

“Ukrainian corn is the most sought-after due to various factors: geographical proximity, price, quality, and delivery format. I believe we are the best by all criteria,” the trade representative added.

However, Kachka pointed out that Ukraine faces certain conflicts of interest with neighboring EU member states.

“Does this affect the demand for Ukrainian corn in the EU? Not at all. It’s clear that we will sell more corn regardless of our direct agreements with the EU. We will obviously engage in political dialogue with neighboring countries and maintain export restrictions on corn to those EU neighbors,” Kachka concluded.