Foreign trade turnover by the most important positions in Jan-Oct 2020 (import).
Structure of import of services for 9 months of 2020 (graphically).
Ukraine in 2020 increased import of crude oil (according to foreign trade activity code 2709) 1.6-fold (by 454,959 tonnes) compared to the same period in 2019, to 1.246 million tonnes.
According to the State Fiscal Service, in 2020, crude oil was imported for $409.167 million, which is 1.5% less than a year earlier ($431.735 million).
Some crude oil for $265.076 million came from Azerbaijan (the share is 64.78%), the United States for $98.445 million (24.06%), Libya for $45.555 million (11.13%) and other countries for $0.091 million (0.02%).
The export of crude oil by Ukraine in 2020 amounted to 80,000 tonnes for $24.351 million. Oil was exported to Belarus by Ukrtransnafta, which in the spring of 2020 bought Azerbaijani oil when the prices fell with its subsequent sale to its subsidiary BNK.
In 2019, Ukraine did not export oil.
Imports of fresh or chilled fish in 2020 in physical terms increased by one third compared to the previous year, from 23,000 tonnes to 30,000 tonnes, and in U.S. dollar terms it grew by 15.4%, from $141 million to $162 million, the State Customs Service has reported. At that time, according to the data, the import of frozen fish in the past year amounted to 271,000 tonnes worth $365 million, decreasing by 5.1% and 3.1%, respectively.
Due to a general reduction in imports, the share of fresh or chilled fish of it in 2020 increased to 0.30% from 0.23% a year earlier, frozen – from 0.62% to 0.67%, the State Customs Service said.
According to the data, the export of frozen fish in 2020 amounted to only 440 tonnes for $1.1 million, having almost halved.
The State Customs Service said that the largest three countries-suppliers of fresh and chilled fish to Ukraine are Norway with the share of 82%, Turkey with 9% and Iceland with 4%, frozen – the United States with 19%, Iceland with 18%, and Norway with 14%.
In addition, in physical terms the import of fish fillets and other fish meat, dried, salted and smoked fish, crayfish and molluscs grew by 16.9%, to 58,700 tonnes, in money terms – by 20.1% to $152.7 million.
Most of all, the import of crustaceans increased – to 11,500 tonnes and to $55 million, or by 57.4% and 42.6%, respectively.
At the same time, fish fillets and other fish meat remained the main export product in this industry for Ukraine – 3,800 tonnes for $26.3 million, which is 2.5% and 13.4% higher than in 2019, respectively.
The State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine will allow the import of books from the Russian Federation to Ukrainian territory, referring to the law adopted by the Verkhovna Rada in 2016, the press service of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting reported.
“The issuance of permits for the import of books from the Russian Federation into the territory of Ukraine is carried out in accordance with the law that was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada at the end of 2016. This law provides that import permits are not granted exclusively to books of anti-Ukrainian content, as well as those containing propaganda in favor of the aggressor state,” the message said.
The department said that over the entire period of the law and, accordingly, the functioning of the licensing system, not a single book of anti-Ukrainian content has entered Ukraine legally, and the volume of books brought from the Russian Federation has decreased 12 times compared to 2011. It is reported that during 2017-2020 the law of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting made it possible to import into Ukraine 31,000 titles of books from Russia. Most of the books allowed for import are works of world classics, children’s and popular science literature. Part of the permits were issued for the import into Ukraine of Ukrainian-language books by Ukrainian publishing houses, printed in the Russian Federation.
In addition, during 2017-2020, the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting provided 4,274 refusals to importers to import book products from the Russian Federation. Most of the refusals related to the submission of an incomplete package of documents by the applicants, and in 274 cases – anti-Ukrainian content found in publications.
Almost 1.5 million copies of anti-Ukrainian publications were not allowed to be imported into Ukraine. At the same time, the department reported that a complete cessation or restriction of the import of Russian books into the territory of Ukraine is possible only through the adoption of an appropriate law, which would provide for an embargo on their import.
BOOKS, IMPORT, RUSSIAN, UKRAINIAN STATE COMMITTEE ON TELEVISION
Imports of cheese to Ukraine in 2020 increased from 23,700 tonnes to 46,700 tonnes compared to the previous year, and in dollar terms from $ 108.9 million to $ 210.5 million, the State Customs Service has said.
According to its data, at the same time, export of cheese from Ukraine decreased to 6,300 tonnes for $ 24.4 million, or 11.3% and 8.9%, respectively, compared to 2019.
The drop in butter exports was also significant last year – to 11,200 tonnes for $ 48.7 million, or 38.6% and 36.8%, respectively, with a sharp increase in imports. It increased almost threefold, to 10,000 tonnes in natural terms and almost 2.5 times in dollar terms, to $ 40.6 million.
In addition, in 2020 import of milk and cream increased sharply, to 12,900 tonnes worth $ 11.6 million: the jump was 3.6 times and 3.3 times, respectively. Export of milk and cream from Ukraine decreased by a quarter, to 18,600 tonnes in natural terms and by 21.6% in dollar terms, to $ 12 million.
In 2020, imports of condensed milk also increased, to 6,100 tonnes worth $ 11.6 million, or 2.4 times. At the same time, exports amounted to 27,400 tonnes for $ 55 million, having decreased by 23.4% and 27.1%, respectively.
