The economic feasibility of transportation through the Black Sea grain corridor loses its meaning

UkrAgroConsult

The grain corridor has been virtually shut down since May 9. This was stated by Viktor Berestenko, President of the Association of International Freight Forwarders of Ukraine.

“The economic feasibility of grain transportation through the corridor loses its meaning (vessel downtime, which can last for months, “eats up” everything),” he said.

The expert reminded that the average number of vessels arriving per day at the three ports of Greater Odesa (Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi) within the framework of the Grain Initiative has been steadily decreasing from 5.9 vessels per day in September 2022 to 1.9 in April 2023.

He also said that the damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure has broken through the $50 billion mark.

“The volume of average daily grain transfer after the introduction of restrictions by the EU countries on the western border is 14 wagons/day, in April – 28 wagons/day; in March – 58.19 wagons/day,” he said.

In addition, Viktor Berestenko emphasized that law enforcement agencies continue to send customs officers orders to detain (inspect and re-inspect) goods.

“Last year there were about 1,100 of them, while in January-April this year there were more than 3,000. All these are delays at the border, creating conditions for some and obstacles for others,” he added.

Tags: Black Sea grain corridor