By KYIV. Nov 16 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Since the beginning of Russian aggression, Ukraine has been forced to change the geography of exports of agricultural products, as a result of which the share of Europe in January-October 2023 reached 59% compared to 32% in 2021, the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB) reported on Facebook.
According to the report, such an increase in exports of agricultural goods to Europe is forced and is explained by a reduction in supplies to other regions: Africa’s share decreased to 7% from 14%, Asia to 12% from 19%, and Southeast Asia to 4% from 13%.
“The main reason for such changes is the blockade of Ukrainian seaports by Russian troops. The development of alternative routes, which were only possible through the territory of EU countries, led to changes. Ukrainian farmers were forced to look for buyers of their products in European countries,” the analysts explained.
The UCAB recalled that deliveries to African and Asian countries during the war became possible only thanks to the work of the grain corridor in cooperation with the UN and Turkey, as well as the temporary grain corridor, which is currently shipping.
The structure of exports of Ukrainian agricultural products in 2023 in terms of main export items is similar to last year’s figures: 39% were grain crops, 26% were vegetable oils, 4% were meat, 2% were dairy products, eggs and honey. At the same time, exports of oilseeds decreased to 12% compared to 16% in 2022; over the year, exports of oil cakes increased to 6% from 5%. Permission to supply sugar to foreign markets allowed producers to increase its share in agricultural exports to 3% within a year.
In pre-war 2021, the structure of Ukraine’s agricultural exports looked like this: grain crops – 45%, vegetable oils – 26%, oilseeds – 9%, meal – 6%, meat – 3%, and tobacco products – 2%.
“The only option to resume exports to Ukraine’s traditional markets is to ensure the safety of sea export routes and increase shipment volumes through this channel,” the UCAB summarized.
