Ukraine grain exports down at 13.7 mln T so far in 2023/24 – ministry

Ukraine’s grain exports have fallen to around 13.7 million metric tons so far in the 2023/24 July-June marketing season, agriculture ministry data showed on Wednesday.

The ministry said that by Dec. 9 last year, Ukraine had exported almost 19 million tons of grain.

Ukraine exported 3.86 million tons of grain in November, including 1.3 million tons of wheat and 2.4 million tons of corn, the ministry data showed.

Traders union UGA said Ukrainian combined grain and oilseed exports rose to 4.5 million tons in November from 3.5 million tons in October largely because the country has been actively increasing its exports via analternative shipping route.

The volume exported this season includes 6.1 million tons of wheat, 6.6 million tons of corn and 889,000 tons of barley.

In the previous season by Dec. 9, Ukraine had exported 7.2 million tons of wheat, 10.2 million tons of corn and 1.5 million tons of barley.

The ministry said traders had exported 626,000 tons of grain so far in December compared with 1.1 million tons by Dec. 9, 2022.

Ukraine has traditionally shipped most of its exports through its deep water Black Sea ports.

Ukraine’s government expects a harvest of 79 million tons of grain and oilseeds in 2023, with its 2023/24 exportable surplus totalling about 50 million tons.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Editing by Louise Heavens)