As of late September–early October, agricultural exports from Ukraine—amid Russia’s ongoing blockade of Black Sea ports—amount to up to 50% of the potential volume, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotsky told reporters on Friday.
“Without access to deep-water Black Sea ports, we can export about half of our produce—the portion that has been grown and is intended for export. When we talk about the consequences, this means we are unable to export approximately 30 million metric tons of agricultural products worth about $30 billion during the current marketing year,” he noted.
The minister clarified that in September, 2.4 million metric tons were exported—46% of what was supposed to be exported—including 1.4 million metric tons of grains (38%), 444,000 metric tons of oilseeds (83%), oil—311,000 metric tons, or 64%, and meal—280,000 metric tons, or 46% of the potential required exports.
“This 46% figure has, in fact, remained unchanged since September 20. In other words, we are achieving what we predicted: that 45–50% is the objective maximum given the current logistics channels,” Vysotsky concluded.
According to him, 41%—or 993,000 metric tons—was exported by rail, which is in line with forecasts; 54%—or 1.3 million metric tons—via the Danube; and 5%—or 120,000 metric tons—by road.
“In September, we saw an increase in both rail and Danube shipments compared to August,” the minister added.
