In January-October this year, Ukraine reduced exports of titanium ores and concentrate in physical terms by 96.3% year-on-year to 10.170 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS) on Wednesday, exports of titanium ores and concentrate decreased by 84.7% to $16.983 million in monetary terms.
The main exports were to Turkey (36.92% of supplies in monetary terms), Japan (18.90%) and the Netherlands (6.04%).
During the period, Ukraine imported 1 ton of such ore from the Netherlands for $2 thousand.
As reported, in 2022, Ukraine reduced exports of titanium ore and concentrate in physical terms by 41.8% compared to the previous year to 322.143 thousand tons, and in monetary terms by 19.6% to $130.144 million. At the same time, the main exports were made to the Czech Republic (47.91% of supplies in monetary terms), the United States (11.94%) and Romania (9.75%).
In 2022, Ukraine imported 196 tons of similar products from Senegal (70.41%) and Turkey (29.59%) for $115 thousand.
In Ukraine, titanium ores are currently mined mainly by the United Mining and Chemical Company (UMCC), which manages Vilnohirsk Mining and Metallurgical Plant (VGMK, Dnipro region) and Irshansk Mining and Metallurgical Plant (Irshansk, Dnipro region). ) and Irshansk Mining and Processing Plant (IGOK, Zhytomyr region), as well as Mezhirichinsky GOK and Valky Ilmenite (both based in Irshansk, Zhytomyr region).
In addition, Velta (Dnipro) has built a mining and processing plant at Birzulivske deposit with a capacity of 240 thousand tons of ilmenite concentrate per year.
In January-October this year, Ukraine reduced exports of processed pig iron in physical terms by 3.2% compared to the same period last year, to 1 million 113.079 thousand tons.
According to the statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS), pig iron exports in monetary terms amounted to $423.414 million in the period under review (down 26.3%).
At the same time, exports were carried out mainly to Poland (56.20% of supplies in monetary terms), Spain (22.64%) and the United States (6.24%).
In ten months of 2023, Ukraine imported 79 tons of pig iron worth $132 thousand from Germany (50.38%) and Brazil (49.62%), while in October, imports of pig iron amounted to $1 thousand. In the same period last year, 16 tons of pig iron were imported from Germany for $29 thousand.
As reported, in 2022, Ukraine reduced exports of processed pig iron by 59% in physical terms compared to the previous year – to 1 million 325.275 thousand tons, and by 61.1% in monetary terms – to $638.774 million.
In 2022, Ukraine imported 40 tons of pig iron worth $23 thousand, while in 2021 it imported 185 tons of pig iron worth $226 thousand.
Exports were made mainly to the United States (38.47% of supplies in monetary terms), Poland (32.91%), and Turkey (8.12%), while imports were made from Germany (100%).
In 2022/23 marketing year (MY), Ukrainian flour millers increased flour exports to 149.7 thsd tonnes, which is 20.1% higher than in the pre-war 2020/2021 MY, when it reached 124.6 thsd tonnes, said Serhiy Serhii Sakirkin.
“That is, in a year when the sea was safe, containers (the cost of which was constantly cried about) of bran were in demand, the overstocking of warehouses could not be imagined even in bad dreams – but only 125 thsd tonnes. And here the sea is only in Romania and further, wild bets on trucks to ports and European consumers… Logistics is a nightmare! And 150 thsd tonnes!” he wrote in the review for APK-Inform analytical agency.
According to the report, in 2021/2022 MY the flour exports were the record low and amounted to 69.8 thsd tonnes. In the current marketing year, the export of Ukrainian flour is expected to reach 180 thsd tonnes, according to the industry association.
Considering the dynamics of flour exports by months, Sakirkin recalled that from March to June 2022, there was an “unclear state of affairs”.
“Then it became clear that we had to work and work in a new way. In July, we squared our shoulders and continued to work almost without disruption. Rare stability in contrast to the previous two years,” the expert said.
According to him, the price of flour last season was influenced by the global price factor and very expensive logistics.
“The terms of delivery, which include payment for transportation, are represented by other prices, but this is not a profit, unfortunately… By the way, the price dynamics of 2022/23 MY, if we do not take absolute figures, is very similar to the dynamics of the pre-war 2020/21 MY,” the expert said.
He emphasized that the war had a significant impact on the geography of Ukrainian flour supplies. Previously, North and Central Africa, especially the UAE, dominated, but now seven out of 10 countries, where the largest volumes of Ukrainian flour were shipped, are European countries.
“Let’s say the usual annual volume is exported to Moldova. But other countries, if they ever got Ukrainian flour, it was in tiny quantities. Now it is thousands, sometimes even tens of thousands of tons,” Sakirkin wrote.
The industry association specified that 33.94 thousand tons of flour were supplied to Moldova, which accounted for 23% of total exports, 22.16 thousand tons (15%) to Poland, 14.7 thousand tons (10%) to Palestine, 14.7 thousand tons (10%) to Romania, and 14.7 thousand tons (10%) to tons (10%), Romania – 12.98 thousand tons (9%), Croatia – 10.77 thousand tons (7%), Hungary – 7.96 thousand tons (5%), Turkey – 7.55 (5%), Israel – 6.87 thousand tons (5%), Slovakia – 6.35 thousand tons (4%) and the Czech Republic – 4.43 thousand tons (3%).
The top ten largest exporters were only producers, including Kalush Milling Company, Novaagro LLC, Khmelnytsky Milling Company, Vinnytsia Milling Company No. 2, Vlad LLC, and others, the Millers of Ukraine Association noted.