Ukraine and EU discuss support for agricultural exports and cheaper alternative logistics

Ukraine needs additional support from European and international partners to reduce the cost of alternative agricultural export routes. According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, additional logistics costs can reach around $100/t, significantly reducing the economic efficiency of exports.

For the agricultural sector to operate steadily, Ukraine needs to export around 5 mln tons of agricultural products per month. At present, alternative routes can handle only about half of this volume at most.

Baltic and other European ports offer additional potential, but using these routes involves significantly higher costs. Ukraine is seeking support from partners to expand logistics capacity and offset part of the additional expenses.

The sides also discussed financing for the agricultural sector, particularly access to working capital for small farms and producers in frontline regions. EU representatives proposed a separate meeting with financial institutions to explore new lending and guarantee mechanisms.

Ukraine and the EU also discussed commitments under the Ukraine Facility and the alignment of agricultural legislation with EU requirements. The Ministry stressed the need to combine European integration reforms with measures that allow the agricultural sector to continue operating under wartime conditions.

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Tags: alternative routes, Ukraine, EU, logistics