Ukraine and Romania strengthen cooperation to support agricultural exports

Romania’s Port of Constanța has become the key alternative logistics hub for Ukrainian agricultural exports. Therefore, developing this route, expanding logistics capacity, and supporting Ukrainian farmers have become top priorities in cooperation between Ukraine and Romania.

These issues were the main focus of a meeting between Ukraine’s Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotskyi, Deputy Minister Denys Bashlyk, and Romania’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Alexandru Victor Micula.

According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, restrictions on the country’s main Black Sea export routes could leave grain elevators and storage facilities with a combined capacity of nearly 59 mln tons completely filled by early November. By the end of autumn, the storage deficit could reach around 11 mln tons. Under these circumstances, the Romanian port of Constanța is becoming the key alternative route for transshipping Ukrainian grain onto deep-sea vessels for export to global markets.

“Russia’s systematic attacks on Ukraine’s port infrastructure and agricultural sector are a direct blow to global food security and regional trade stability. Today, we face a critical situation in which grain storage facilities are rapidly filling up while export opportunities remain severely limited. It is vital for us to preserve the harvested grain and secure stable alternative export routes. We count on the support of our Romanian partners,” Taras Vysotskyi said.

Romania has previously played a major role in facilitating Ukrainian grain exports. At the end of 2023, under the European Union’s Solidarity Lanes initiative, transit through Romania reached 4 mln tons per month, including up to 2.8 mln tons of Ukrainian agricultural exports. Around 70% of this volume was transported by rail and road directly to the Port of Constanța.

To restore and expand these volumes, the parties agreed to intensify cooperation in several areas. These include increasing the number of border crossing points between Ukraine and Romania, expanding phytosanitary and veterinary inspection capacity, introducing round-the-clock operations at relevant services, and maximizing offshore transshipment using floating cranes at the Port of Constanța.

The parties also noted that the Danube logistics corridor remains under constant threat from Russian attacks. Russia continues to target Danube ports, fuel infrastructure, and grain storage facilities, creating additional risks for exports. In response, Romania, together with Bulgaria and Turkey, is strengthening measures to ensure safe navigation and provide escorts for civilian vessels heading to the Sulina Canal and Danube ports.

Financial support for Ukrainian farmers was another key topic of the discussions. According to Taras Vysotskyi, providing farmers with affordable credit is the most effective solution, enabling them to finance working capital until market conditions allow them to sell their products at favorable prices.

The Romanian side confirmed its readiness to support Ukrainian initiatives and to work jointly on securing the necessary funding from the European Commission while further expanding bilateral cooperation.

Tags: Ukraine, export, Romania, agricultural products, Constanta