Ukraine in the 2018 calendar year exported 586,500 tonnes of sugar (2% less from 2017) for $217.09 million, the Ukrtsukor National Association of Sugar Producers has reported. “If to compare with the previous year, the export volume has not changed much, but its geography has changed. If last year the largest buyer of Ukrainian sugar was Sri Lanka (69,030 tonnes), then in 2018 it was Uzbekistan (285,300 tonnes.) They are followed by Azerbaijan and Libya with 44,700 tonnes and 43,800 tonnes respectively,” Ruslana Butylo, the deputy chairperson of the board of Ukrtsukor, said.
At the same time, according to the association, sugar exports for the four months of the current marketing year (September 2018 – August 2019) grew by 14.3%, to 198,900 tonnes. “Taking into account the market situation and still a surplus year, even despite the decrease in forecasts for sugar production in India, Ukrainian producers will have to work to improve product quality and establish long-term contracts,” she said.
In the 2017 calendar year, Ukraine exported 598,700 tonnes of sugar for $279.9 million.
Foreign trade flow of agricultural products and food in 2018 totaled $24.3 billion, including over $18.84 billion of exported goods, and it grew by 5% compared with 2017, Ukraine’s Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry has reported.
“According to the results of 2018, Ukrainian agricultural exports grew by more than $880 million compared to 2017 and hit a new record of $18.8 billion. During this period, exports of agricultural products to the markets of Asia and the European Union increased significantly. Ukrainian agricultural exports to Asia exceeded $8 billion, and in 2018 we exported more than $6.3 billion worth of agricultural and food products to the EU countries,” Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy for European Integration Olha Trofimtseva said.
According to her, last year, the lion’s share of Ukrainian agricultural exports was traditionally formed by grain crops, with a share of 38.4%, vegetable oils – 23.3% and oilseeds – 10.2%.
“I also want to point out the goods, thanks to which there was an increase in exports. This is corn, wheat, rapeseed, cake, meat and poultry by-products, various oils, tobacco and products from it, eggs, confectionery, and other food,” Trofimtseva said.
The deputy minister said that exports of crop products increased by $762.3 million compared to 2017 and amounted to $17.4 billion. The value of exports of livestock products also increased by $118.1 million and reached $1.4 billion.
Trofimtseva said that the largest buyers of Ukrainian agricultural and food products in 2018 were: India, where agricultural products were exported for more than $1.8 billion, China – $1.2 billion, the Netherlands – $1.2 billion, Spain – $1.04 billion and Egypt – $888.7 million
“During this period, imports of agricultural and food products also increased noticeably and amounted to almost $5.5 billion. Ukraine most actively bought the following food products: fish, crustaceans and mollusks, fruits, nuts, tobacco and products from it, cocoa beans, chocolate, butter , tea, coffee and other food,” the deputy minister said.
Ukraine in 2018 exported $229 million worth of fruits and berries, which is 17% more than a year earlier.
According to the Ukrsadprom association, the main products in this group were walnuts, which were delivered for $117 million, frozen fruits and berries for $78 million, apples and pears worth $15 million. Their total share in exports of horticultural products was 92%.
According to Ukrsadprom, in 2018 exports of walnuts rose by 32%, to 41,000 tonnes, frozen fruits by 14%, to 48,000 tonnes, apples and pears by 79%, to 43,000 tonnes.
Apples of Ukrainian production were exported to 60 countries, the leaders are Belarus (40%), Moldova (14%), and Sweden (9%).
The average price of domestic apples in foreign markets exceeded $350 per tonne, peeled walnuts $3,670 per tonne, and frozen berries $1,640 per tonne.
Traditionally, the main markets for Ukrainian exporters remained the EU countries, which buy about two-thirds of Ukrainian fruits and berries. The largest number of Ukrainian products was exported to Poland (for $39.8 million), Turkey ($20.4 million), France ($15.7 million), Belarus ($13.8 million), Greece ($12.9 million), the Netherlands ($11.2 million), and Italy ($10.2 million).
Electricity exports operations, which volume grows by 15-25% every year since 2016, is beneficial for Ukraine, Energy and Coal Industry Minister of Ukraine Ihor Nasalyk said in the parliament on Friday.
He said that electricity is exported at the price formed on the domestic wholesale market and includes not only subsidy certificates (the sums that households do not pay due to the fact that tariffs are lower than the production cost), but also the investment element of all Ukrainian power companies.
“With exporting electricity we settle internal problems at the expense of external consumers,” the minister said.
As reported, in 2018, Ukraine exported electricity for $331.942 million, which is 41% more than a year ago.
Ukraine in 2018 exported 341,442 tonnes of nitrogen mineral or chemical fertilizers (according to foreign economic activity code 3102) for $64.446 million and imported 1.358 million tonnes for $288.002 million.
According to the State Fiscal Service, nitrogen fertilizers were delivered to Turkey for $25.092 million, China for $10.3 million, to Romania for $7.584 million, and other countries for $21.47 million.
Last year, imports of nitrogen fertilizers were made from Belarus for $59.684 million, Uzbekistan for $46.235 million, Lithuania for $33.713 million, and other countries for $148.371 million.
Thus, exports of fertilizers last year halved, and in value terms fell by almost two times. Imports of fertilizers decreased by 22.1%, in value terms by 14.6%.
In addition, in 2018 Ukraine exported 40,209 tonnes of ammonia (code 2814) for $9.498 million, imported 441,607 tonnes for $137.333 million.
In 2018, ammonia was exported to Turkey ($4.54 million), Morocco ($2.414 million), Bulgaria ($1.921 million), other countries ($623,000). In 2018, ammonia was imported from the Russian Federation ($134.563 million), Belarus ($2.754 million), Germany ($14,000), and other countries ($2,000).
Ukraine since the beginning of the 2018/2019 marketing year (MY, July-June) and as of January 16, 2019 had exported 25.727 million tonnes of grain and leguminous crops, which is 16.2% more than on the same date of the previous MY. According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, farmers exported 11.1 million tonnes of wheat, 3.26 million tonnes of barley, and 10.79 million tonnes of corn.
Some 132,000 tonnes of flour had been also exported on the specified date.
As reported with reference to the ministry, Ukraine exported 39.4 million tonnes of grain in the 2017/2018 MY.
