Posted on November, 17, 2023 at 07:00 am
Ukraine has sharply decreased its exports of agricultural products to Asian and African countries in 2023 due to blocked seaports in the Black Sea, which has traditionally been the main export route, agricultural business association UCAB said on Thursday.
A substantial portion of Ukraine's agrarian, metallurgical, and chemical exports historically departed from Black Sea ports.
However, these ports faced partial or complete blockades following the Russian invasion in February 2022, significantly affecting the country's ability to conduct these exports, Reuters reported.
Ukraine, a major global grain producer and exporter, has historically sent its grain to Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
According to UCAB's announcement, the proportion of agricultural exports to Africa dropped from 14% to 7% between January and October 2023.
Similarly, exports to Asia declined from 19% to 12%, and shipments to Southeast Asia decreased from 13% to 4% during the same period.
"The main reason for these changes is the blockade of Ukrainian seaports by Russian troops. The development of alternative routes, which were only possible through the territory of the European Union, led to changes. Ukrainian farmers were forced to look for buyers of their products in Europe," the association said.
UCAB reported that the proportion of agricultural exports to Europe increased significantly to 59% in the initial 10 months of 2023, up from 32% in the pre-war year 2021.
The association mentioned that the share of grain in exports for 2023's beginning was 39%, down from 45% in 2021, while the share of vegetable oil in exports remained constant at 26%.
UCAB also highlighted Ukraine's boosted exports of oilseeds, sugar, dairy products, meat, and other goods in 2023.
Source: Business Insider