Since the beginning of August, Ukraine has exported only a third of its potential agricultural exports

Since the beginning of August, Ukraine has exported 1.423 million tonnes of grain, oilseeds and processed products. This is about one-third of the potential export volume for the period, said Taras Vysotskyi, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.

From August 1 to 26, Ukraine exported 822,000 tonnes of grain. The remaining volume consisted mainly of oilseeds, vegetable oil and meal.

About 600,000 tonnes of agricultural products were transported by rail, while another 600,000 tonnes were shipped via the Danube route.

The government continues to take measures to support farmers amid restrictions on the operation of seaports. In particular, together with the National Bank of Ukraine, it extended the deadline for the return of foreign currency earnings from exports of grain, oilseeds and processed products from 120 to 150 days.

According to Vysotskyi, export restrictions and high logistics costs will affect farmers’ plans for the autumn sowing campaign. The area planted with winter wheat is expected to decline, while no significant changes are expected for winter rapeseed, as its sowing campaign has already begun. Only minor changes are also forecast for winter barley.

At the same time, a reduction in wheat acreage does not pose a threat to Ukraine’s domestic food security. Domestic wheat consumption is about 6 million tonnes, while production has reached 23–25 million tonnes in recent years.

Tags: Ukraine, export, grain, oilseeds, agricultural products