Ukraine grain exports seen down to 12.7mln T so far 2023/24 – ministry

Ukraine’s grain exports have fallen to around 12.7 million metric tons so far in the 2023/24 July-June marketing season, agriculture ministry data showed on Monday.

The ministry said that by Nov. 30 last year, Ukraine had exported 17.6 million tons of grain.

The volume exported this season includes 5.8 million tons of wheat, 5.9 million tons of corn and 870,000 tons of barley. In the previous season to this point Ukraine had exported 6.7 million tons of wheat, 9.3 million tons of corn and 1.45 million tons of barley.

The ministry said traders had exported 3.45 million tons of grain so far in November compared with 4.35 million tons by Nov. 30, 2022.

The ministry gave no explanation for the drop but traders and farmers’ unions have said blocked Ukrainian Black Sea ports and Russian attacks on the country’s Danube River ports are the main reasons.

Ukraine has traditionally shipped most of its exports through its deep water Black Sea ports.

Ukraine’s government expects a harvest of 79 million tons of grain and oilseeds in 2023, with its 2023/24 exportable surplus totalling about 50 million tons.

Tags: exports, corn, grain, barley, wheat, Black Sea ports, Ukraine