By KYIV. Jan 4 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine last year exported, according to preliminary data, 99.8 million tonnes of products and goods of all kinds valued at $44.1 billion, which is 38.4% and 35% less than in 2021, respectively.
"Nevertheless, in the war it is a feat: to export almost 100 million tonnes of products (of which 16.3 million tonnes through the grain corridor) under the conditions of the blockade of ports and constant attacks on infrastructure. This is the first year when the volume of exports and logistics came to the fore," Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
According to him, the export of 24.99 million tonnes of corn last year brought Ukraine $5.94 billion (1% more compared with 2021), revenue from foreign supplies of 4.29 million tonnes of sunflower oil (16.3% less) amounted to $5, 46 billion (14.4% less), from 23.9 million tonnes of iron ore (45.9% less) $2.9 billion (57.8% less), from exports of 11.2 million tonnes of wheat (44.1% less) $2.6 billion (44.7% less), and from the export of 3.12 million tonnes of rapeseed (17% more) $1.54 billion (8.6% less).
"Sunflower seeds made their way into the top 10 exported goods. We exported 2.7 million tonnes worth $1.26 billion. This is 33 times more than last year. This is the volume that oil extraction plants could not process. I hope that in 2023, we will have a reverse flow, when the export of seeds will decrease and the export of oil will proportionally increase," Kachka said in the report.
According to him, the export of one of the traditional leaders of industrial exports – 65,900 tonnes of insulated wires brought Ukraine $1.32 billion last year, which is 16.4% less than in 2021. This reduction was caused by a 13.6% decline in wire exports.
"The next in the ranking – steel semi-finished products and hot-rolled products – highlight the entire tragedy of Ukrainian metallurgy. The decline in volumes over the year is 72%. The total export volume of semi-finished products was 1.9 million tonnes worth $1.1 billion, and hot-rolled steel was 1.3 million tonnes worth $1 billion. But it is even brighter to compare January and December. In January, 404,000 tonnes, in December – 31,000 tonnes," the trade representative said.
Kachka said that external sales of soybeans in 2022 were a rare case of significant growth despite the war: the physical volume of exports increased by 81.6% compared to 2021, to 1.99 million tonnes, and revenue increased by 43%, to $862 million.
In turn, poultry meat exports decreased 10% compared with 2021, to 413,000 tonnes, but this brought in 19% more revenue – $852 million.
According to the trade representative, geographically 63% of exports were to the EU ($27.9 billion). Among the EU countries, most of all last year was delivered to Poland ($6.6 billion), Romania ($3.8 billion), Hungary ($2.27 billion), Germany ($2.23 billion), Italy and Spain ($1.5 billion each).
Outside the EU, Turkey ($2.9 billion) was the largest export market, ahead of China ($2.46 billion), although this is respectively 29% and 69% less than in 2021.
In addition, imports of products to Ukraine in 2022 almost halved in volume terms (48.1% less), and in monetary terms it fell by 19.6%. In 2021, Ukraine imported 35 million tonnes of products worth $58 billion.
"Out of 99.8 million tonnes, 53.8 million tonnes were exported by sea. This is 55% less than last year. 33.7 million tonnes were exported by rail… 12 million tonnes were exported by road, and this is a fantastic increase of 32.4% compared to 2021," the trade representative said in the report.
