Since the beginning of the 2022/2023 marketing year (MR, July-June), Ukraine has exported 2.98 million tons of grain crops, including 1.94 million tons of corn (65% of the total supply), 783 thousand tons of wheat ( 26%) and 257 thousand tons of barley (8.8%).
As reported on the website of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food on Friday, the pace of grain exports since the beginning of the current financial year was 2.06 times lower than the indicators of the same period last year (from July 1 to August 19, 2021, 6.12 million tons were exported) .
At the same time, according to the agency, for the period of August 11-19, 770 thousand tons of grain crops were delivered to foreign markets (96.2 thousand tons per day), while in the previous period of August 5-11 – 340 thousand tons of grain crops ( 48.6 thousand tons per day), for July 27-August 5 – 640 thousand tons of grain crops (71.1 thousand tons per day), and for July 15-27 – 627 thousand tons of grain crops (52.25 thousand tons per day). Thus, the average daily rate of export for the reporting period doubled compared to the previous period and reached the maximum value since the beginning of the MR.
For comparison, in eight days (August 11-19), the country supplied the volume of grain crops to foreign markets, similar to the volume of 28 days in April (April 1-28, 2022), when their export amounted to 763,000 tons. This is due to the effect of the Istanbul grain agreements, which opened the export of agricultural crops from three Ukrainian seaports – only on August 1-15, they sent 21 dry cargo ships with 563 thousand tons of agricultural products to foreign markets.
In general, from the beginning of the 2022/2023 FY and until August 19, 2022, Ukraine exported 783 thousand tons of wheat (3.7 times less compared to the same date of the 2021/2022 FY), 257 thousand tons of barley (eight times less) and 7.4 thousand tons of flour (2.55 times less). However, the rate of corn export exceeded last year’s volumes – 1.94 million tons of corn were exported, which is 67.8% more than the indicators of the 2021/2022 financial year.
As reported, in 2021/2022, Ukraine exported 48.51 million tons of grain and leguminous crops, which is 8.4% higher than the indicators of the previous MR, despite the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation and difficulties in exporting agricultural products due to the blockade of Ukrainian seaports. 18.74 million tons of wheat (12.6% more than the indicators of 2020/2021 MR), 23.54 million tons of corn (+1.9%), 5.75 million tons of barley (+35.9%) were delivered to foreign markets ), 70.9 thousand tons of flour (-44.1%).
In 2020/2021, the country exported 44.72 million tons of cereals and legumes: 16.64 million tons of wheat, 23.08 million tons of corn, 4.23 million tons of barley, 126.9 thousand tons of flour and 18.4 thousand tons of flour tons of rye.
In 2019/2020, the Republic of Ukraine exported 56.72 million tons of grain and leguminous crops.
Five ships loaded with grain, including corn and wheat, departed Ukrainian ports on Tuesday, the Anadolu news agency reported with reference to the Turkish Defense Ministry.
Two ships left Pivdenny port and three others Chornomorsk port, it said.
The Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul is also set to inspect four vessels en route for Ukraine to be loaded with grain on Tuesday.
Participants in four-sided negotiations (the United Nations, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine) signed two documents in Istanbul on July 22 regulating the functioning of a sea corridor for exporting grain from the Ukrainian seaports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdenny.
The opportunity to use all three seaports of Big Odesa within the framework of the Istanbul Grain Initiative will help increase transshipment volumes to three or five vessels a day within two weeks, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov has said.
“Our goal is to increase transshipment in ports. Within two weeks we plan to reach the transshipment volume of three or five vessels per day,” the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) quoted him as saying in connection with the departure of the first vessel from the port of Pivdenny – Sacura with 11,000 tonnes of soybeans for Italy on Monday.
Earlier, as part of the grain initiative, eight vessels with corn, sunflower seeds and sunflower oil with a total tonnage of over 250,000 tonnes left the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk. Four of them with 84,500 tonnes have already arrived in Istanbul and have been or are being tested by the Joint Coordination Center.
Together with the vessel Arizona, which also left Chornomorsk for Turkey on Monday, carrying 48,500 tonnes of corn, the total number of vessels reached 10, and their tonnage was about 310,000 tonnes.
In addition, within the framework of the Istanbul Grain Initiative, the first vessel for loading since the beginning of the war has already arrived in the Ukrainian port on August 7, and the second on the same day was inspected by the Joint Coordination Center near Istanbul.
“We are working with the guarantors of the agreements so that the grain corridor works smoothly and all the requirements for shipping are met,” Kubrakov said.
The departure of three dry cargo ships with grain and food from Ukrainian ports is scheduled for August 5, Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar said, Turkish Anadolu agency reports.
According to the agency, Akar held separate talks with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov and Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov. The issues of grain transportation were discussed at the talks.
In addition, the vessel is also expected to be checked and sent from Istanbul for loading in Ukraine, the Turkish Defense Minister said.
The Ukrainian authorities have not yet announced the departure of the courts on August 5.
On July 22, in Istanbul, with the participation of the UN, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey, two documents were signed on the creation of a corridor for the export of grain from three Ukrainian ports – Chornomorsk, Odessa, Pivdenny.
On August 1, the vessel Razoni with 27 thousand tons of corn left the port of Odessa under the flag of Sierra Leone and is heading for Lebanon.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said the next ships with Ukrainian grain are loaded and ready to depart.
“Next ships with Ukrainian grain are loaded and ready to depart. If Russia holds to its commitments under the UN-brokered grain initiative, they will reach foreign customers and help tame food prices and avert hunger. Ukraine remains committed to combating global food insecurity,” Kuleba said on Twitter on Thursday night.
The forecast for the harvest of grain and oilseeds in Ukraine this season has been improved by approximately 5-7 million tons – up to 65-67 million tons from 60 million tons, according to the website of the government portal on Wednesday.
It is specified that the increase in the harvest forecast was announced by the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Solsky during a conference call between Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and the heads of regions.
In turn, the Prime Minister noted that in the context of the Russian military invasion in Ukraine, 12 million tons of new crop grain have already been harvested from a total area of 3.5 million hectares.
Shmyhal also announced the emergence of additional opportunities for grain exports due to the unblocking of the Odessa seaport under the Istanbul Agreement on the export of agricultural products from Ukraine, concluded on July 22 under the auspices of the UN.
“In total, in June we exported 3.2 million tons out of 5 million tons (pre-war monthly volumes – IF-U) that were required. Exports are gradually growing both by rail, by road, and through the Danube ports. Sea ports will significantly expand these opportunities and farmers will receive new opportunities for the sale of products. The state is doing everything necessary for this,” the Prime Minister’s government portal quotes.
Shmygal also noted the recently introduced grant program for the development of horticulture, greenhouses, the development of processing and micro-enterprises, under which over 5,000 applications have already been submitted and processed, and this week the first applicants will receive state support.
As reported, the US Department of Agriculture in the July report predicts the harvest of Ukrainian wheat in the 2022/2023 marketing year (MY, July-June) at the level of 19.5 million tons, its export – 10 million tons, domestic consumption within the country – 10.2 million tons . The corn harvest is estimated at 25 million tons, export – 9 million tons, domestic consumption – 10.7 million tons.
In early July, the Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA) increased the forecast for the harvest of grains and oilseeds in Ukraine in 2022 by 4.4% compared to the May forecast, to 69.4 million tons from 66.5 million tons.
According to her forecasts, in 2022 the wheat harvest is expected at the level of 20.8 million tons (+8.3% to the organization’s May forecast); 27.3 million tons of corn (+4.6%); 6.6 million tons of barley (forecast kept); 9 million tons of sunflower (forecast kept); 2.2 million tons of soybeans (+4.7%); 1.5 million tons of rapeseed (+13.3%).
