Ukraine increases agri-imports to EU, remains among three largest suppliers

According to Ukrinform, this is stated in the latest report of the European Commission on EU agricultural trade, published in December this year.

Imports from Ukraine showed the largest increase from January to September compared to 2022 (+EUR 891 million, or +11%), mainly due to higher grain imports. At the same time, EU imports from Ukraine have been below the level of 2022 since June and almost returned to the level of 2021 in September this year, the report says.

In absolute terms, the volume of Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU in the period from January to September 2023 reached EUR 8.750  billion. Among the largest exporters of agricultural products to the EU, Ukraine is second only to Brazil and the United Kingdom.

During the same period, Ukraine imported agricultural products from the EU worth EUR 2.505  billion, which is 19% more than in the same period in 2022. Among the most important destinations for European agricultural exports, Ukraine ranks 14th (1% of total EU agricultural exports).

According to the European Commission, the EU’s total trade balance in the period from January to September 2023 reached EUR 51 billion, which is EUR 8.5 billion more than in the same period of 2022.

As reported, after the beginning of Russian military aggression and Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, the EU established solidarity lanes on the borders with Ukraine to transport Ukrainian agricultural exports to the European and global markets by land.

In May 2023, the European Commission banned imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower from Ukraine to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Romania at the insistence of these countries. On June 5, the ban was extended until September 15, 2023. Subsequently, the European Commission announced on September 15 that the EU would not extend the temporary restrictions on Ukrainian grain, after which Poland and Hungary imposed a unilateral ban on agricultural imports from Ukraine, although transit of Ukrainian agri-products through the neighboring countries continued.

At present, cargo transportation from Ukraine is being blocked at Polish checkpoints on the initiative of Polish carriers. Transportation routes are also being blocked on Ukraine’s borders with Slovakia and Hungary.