In June this year, Ukraine managed to export 2.7 million tonnes of agricultural products, bypassing its seaports – the key export infrastructure of the country, now blocked by Russian troops.
Export growth in June amounted to 30% compared to May, according to the website of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB) on Friday.
In terms of crops in June, grain exports amounted to 1.4 million tonnes (corn – 86%, wheat – 10%, and barley – 3%), having increased by 23% compared to May.
Ukraine exported in June 642,500 tonnes of oilseeds (sunflower seeds – 84%, soybeans – 14%, and rapeseed – 2%), which is 52% more than in the previous month. At the same time, vegetable oil was exported by 45% more – 298,500 tonnes, of which 94% is sunflower and 6% soybean.
Export of sunflower and soybean cake and meal in June amounted to 139,100 tonnes (sunflower – 81%, and soybean – 19%), which corresponds to an increase of 20% compared to May.
“The highest growth rates are demonstrated by oilseeds, namely sunflower seeds. For the Ukrainian market, sunflower seeds have never been an export-oriented crop. Almost the entire volume was processed in Ukraine, after which sunflower oil was exported. The situation has now changed, and it is the export of seeds that has begun to grow,” the association clarified in the message.
According to the UCAB, now the main buyers of Ukrainian agricultural products are the countries closest to Ukraine – Romania, Poland, Bulgaria and Turkey, while before the Russian invasion, the main trading partners of the country were China, India, the Netherlands and Egypt.
“The export of agricultural products needs priority in shipments by land in order to save such an important direction of Ukraine’s economy until the seaports are unblocked. Without establishing the export of all manufactured products, farmers will not have enough funds to harvest already sown crops, and even more so for the next sowing in 2023,” the association stated.
As reported, in May 2022 Ukraine exported 1.74 million tonnes of grain and oilseeds and agricultural products for export by all modes of transport, which is 1.8 times higher than in April.
