Ukraine exported only 20% of its potential grain export volume in August due to logistics problems.
Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotskyi said this during his weekly online briefing with media representatives.
“The largest decline in exports was recorded in grain crops. A total of 522,000 tonnes were exported, which is only about 20% of the potential volume. At the same time, exports included 63,000 tonnes of oilseeds, 128,000 tonnes of vegetable oils and 86,000 tonnes of meal. The main problem at the moment is logistics,” Vysotskyi said.
He noted that, for oilseeds, alternative routes are more or less sufficient to maintain the necessary export volumes. The situation with grain is more difficult: given current logistics costs, exporting grain is unprofitable in many cases.
Overall, the minister added, between August 1 and 18 Ukraine exported 899,600 tonnes of agricultural products, representing around 31% of its potential export volume under conditions of full access to logistics.
At the same time, he said that despite Russian attacks on distribution centres and individual production facilities, Ukraine has sufficient food supplies to meet domestic consumption needs.
“Ukraine has enough operational production capacity to meet domestic consumption. There is no threat of a physical food shortage. Products will be available in every settlement. However, for some time, consumers may have a smaller selection than they are accustomed to,” Vysotskyi stressed.
The minister also said that there would be no buckwheat shortage this year. Production is expected to remain roughly at last year’s level, at more than 80,000 tonnes. Prices are likely to remain close to current levels in the near term, although an increase of up to 15% is possible.
