Ukraine grain exports down 30.6% this season so far

Ukraine has exported almost 15.1 million tonnes of grain so far in the 2022/23 season, down 30.6% from the 21.8 million tonnes exported by the same stage of the previous season, according to agriculture ministry data on Monday.

Grain exports have slumped since Russia invaded Ukraine in February and closed off its neighbour’s Black Sea ports, driving up global food prices and prompting fears of shortages in Africa and the Middle East.

Three Black Sea ports were unblocked at the end of July under a deal between Moscow and Kyiv that was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey.

Ministry data showed that exports so far in the July 2022 to June 2023 season included 5.7 million tonnes of wheat, 8.1 million tonnes of corn and 1.2 million tonnes of barley.

The government has said Ukraine could harvest between 50 million and 52 million tonnes of grain this year, down from a record 86 million tonnes in 2021 because of the loss of land to Russian forces and lower yields.

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