Ukrainian grain exports have reached 2.56 million metric tons so far this season, which began in July 2023 and will end in June 2024, compared to two million tons during the same period last season, according to data released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture on Monday.
A total of 1.27 million tons of corn, 977,000 tons of wheat, and 329,000 tons of barley have been exported from Ukraine so far.
In the entire previous season 2022/23, exports reached nearly 49 million tons, surpassing 48.4 million tons from the previous season.
Most of the exports were conducted through Black Sea ports, thanks to an agreement brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July last year, aimed at addressing the global food crisis exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the blockade of Ukrainian ports.
However, Russia abandoned this agreement on July 17 of this year, citing that its demands for easing sanctions on its grain and fertilizer exports were not met. Moscow also complained that not enough grain had reached poor countries. Ukrainian exports have been affected by this decision from Russia, but the ministry has not provided data on the intensity of exports since the agreement collapsed.
Before the war, Ukraine was a major global producer and exporter of grains, but its grain production in calendar year 2022 fell to about 53 million tons, compared to a record 86 million tons in 2021. The Ukrainian ministry has announced that this year’s grain harvest could be around 46 million tons of grain.
