Railway grain shipments to the ports of Greater Odesa during the first five days of August fell by 84.3% compared to the same period in July—to 40.8 thousand metric tons, according to the brokerage firm Spike Brokers.
According to its data, the total volume of agricultural exports from Ukraine for August 1–6 amounted to 312,900 metric tons, compared to 784,500 metric tons for the same period in July, a decrease of 60.1%. At the same time, export revenue decreased by 38.4%—to $201.5 million from $326.9 million.
The sharpest decline was seen in grains: wheat exports for the first six days of August totaled 93.2 thousand metric tons, compared to 294.9 thousand metric tons in early July, while corn exports totaled 33.5 thousand metric tons, compared to 293.7 thousand metric tons, respectively.
At the same time, a seasonal flow of rapeseed totaling 27,900 metric tons appeared in the structure of August exports, while shipments of soybean meal rose to 25,700 metric tons from 18,600 metric tons during the corresponding period in July. Sunflower oil exports fell to 30.7 thousand metric tons from 52.1 thousand metric tons.
During the first five days of August, a total of 182 thousand metric tons of grain and milled products were transported by rail, which is 44.1% less than during the same period in July.
“Data from Ukrainian Railways (UZ) for the first five days of the month show a sharp decline in rail grain shipments to seaports, while land-based rail crossings and road exports are operating at a relatively higher level,” the report states.
As for overland logistics channels, from August 1–6, 59,600 metric tons of agricultural products were exported through road border crossings, compared to 53,600 metric tons during the same period in July (an increase of 11.3%).
According to Spike Brokers, the average daily throughput of grain and meal shipments through border crossings during the first five days of August was 142 railcars, compared to 139 railcars in July.
Volumes increased the most on the Romanian route—to 31.2 railcars per day, or 29.3 railcars more than in July. Poland increased its shipments to 27.4 railcars per day (+13.8). In contrast, Hungary reduced this figure to 23 railcars per day (-15.9), and Slovakia to 14.2 railcars per day (-2.7). The backlog of grain railcars heading toward the border rose from 369 to 521 railcars, or by 41.2%.
“In contrast to the slower overall pace of agricultural exports, the road transport channel began August with greater activity than in July. However, its absolute capacity remains insufficient to compensate for the reduction in large-tonnage grain flows through seaports,” the report states.
An increase in activity was also recorded on the Danube route: the number of grain cars in transit rose to 1,296 (+155), and the average daily unloading rate increased to 157 cars (+106).
