Ukrainian agricultural products return to markets lost at the beginning of the war

This was announced by Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine and Trade Representative of Ukraine, in an interview with Ukrinform.

“The Middle East and North Africa region is the second most important market for us after the EU. Due to the blockade of the Black Sea at the beginning of the war, there were indeed some restrictions in this area. But now we are regaining what we have lost, slowly restoring our positions in the Egyptian and Turkish markets. Last year, Ukraine entered the Algerian market with wheat. This is also a good sign, as our presence in this market has been only intermittent so far,” he said.

The trade representative acknowledged that due to the war and logistical issues in 2022, many traders from the United Arab Emirates turned away and stopped working with Ukraine, but now trade is returning.

“Plus, we expect a free trade agreement with the Emirates to be signed this year,” he added.

At the same time, sunflower oil exports to India have returned to pre-war levels, said Kachka.

“Indonesia is also slowly “opening up”, we are returning to the wheat market there. Also, even in 2022, when the sea was blocked, thanks to the Grain Initiative, we had a significant share of the Chinese corn market. China imported about a quarter of all corn from Ukraine. The share of China in our exports is now approaching 6%. These are mainly agricultural products. And if there is stable navigation, our presence in these markets will increase,” he summarized.

Tags: Ukraine, export, agricultural products