The Agriculture Minister of Ukraine ,Mr.Mykola Solskyi said on Monday that despite the ongoing invasion of Russia the country exported 1.090 million tonnes of grain in April 2022.
Ukraine had been the world’s fourth largest exporter of maize (corn) in the 2020/21 season and the number six wheat exporter, according to International Grains Council data.
He underlined the importance of exports of Ukrainian grain via Romania while Russia is blockading Ukrainian ports, but said those exports could be complicated in two months by exports of the new wheat crop in Romania and Bulgaria.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February has added to volatility in international financial markets, sending commodity prices higher and affecting logistics.
The Minister said about 7 million hectares of spring crops so far this year, or 25-30% less than in the corresponding period of 2021.
He said in a news conference that the sowing this year was not of the same quality as last year and that the sowing area for corn was smaller.
“The sowing campaign is going on actively despite the difficulties associated primarily with logistics,” Solskyi stated.
Nearly 25 million tonnes of grains are stuck in Ukraine and unable to leave the country due to infrastructure challenges and blocked Black Sea ports, a U.N. food agency official said on Friday. Read full story
Ukrainian agriculture officials say the exportable surplus is around 12 million tonnes and analysts have said Ukraine’s currently large stocks will leave no room for storing the new harvest when it comes.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that the problem of global food security could not be solved without restoring Ukrainian agricultural production to the world market.
Solskyi welcomed the “interest and understanding” shown by Romania over exports of Ukrainian grain and said Baltic ports looked the most attractive alternative.
