Ukraine plans to double agricultural transit through Poland

Ukraine aims to double agricultural transit through Poland from the current 300 thsd to 600 thsd tons per month amid limited Black Sea logistics capacity. Ukraine has already formally proposed that Poland increase the number of freight trains crossing the shared border.

According to Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi, Ukraine is expected to export about 1.5 mln tons of products via alternative routes in August, compared with an average requirement of around 5 mln tons per month. This means land and other alternative routes currently cover only about one-third of the required export volumes.

Even under the most favorable scenario, alternative routes can cover no more than 50% of Ukraine’s export needs. Poland is seen as one of the routes with additional capacity, primarily through increased rail traffic and round-the-clock operation of border control services.

Vysotskyi said the current logistics crisis is one of the most difficult since the start of the full-scale war. Unlike in 2022, Ukrainian farmers have a much smaller financial buffer, while global commodity prices are not compensating for sharply higher logistics costs. At the same time, neighboring countries’ infrastructure is heavily occupied with their own crops during the harvest season.

Ukrainian and Polish businesses, railway operators and agricultural producers are also considering expanding container shipments, using specialized railcars and investing in border infrastructure. Another priority is increasing exports of higher value-added products, for which logistics account for a smaller share of the final price than for grain.

Tags: Ukraine, Poland, agricultural exports, transit, agricultural transit