Page 40 - UKRRptOct23

Prime Minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, will request a joint order from the country's ministers of agriculture and economy to extend the ban on the import of Ukrainian grain and agricultural products by 30 days, the Romanian government said in a statement on September 18 reports Interfax Ukraine. The decision comes after a five-month EU ban on the import of Ukrainian grain expired on September 15, but several EU countries, including Poland and Hungary, unilaterally extended the ban to protect their own agricultural markets.
Bulgaria bans Ukrainian sunflower imports until November. Bulgaria has banned the import of Ukrainian sunflowers until the end of November after a meeting between both countries' agriculture ministers, Bulgaria's Agriculture Ministry said on Sept. 29.
The EU is studying alternative routes for the export of Ukrainian grain through Italy and Greece. These countries could become involved in the so-called corridor of solidarity, said Miriam Garcia Ferrer, spokeswoman for the European Commission on Agriculture and Trade, Ukrainian media reported. According to her, it is possible to reduce logistics costs by 50% through the solidarity corridor. Also, the EU aims to achieve transit indicators of four million tons through this corridor by the end of the year. Commenting on the expiration of the Ukrainian grain ban, the European Commission said no decision has been made yet. However, Ferrer noted that "there is still time" before midnight on September 15. She promised that the best decision for all parties would be made.
Food and metal are the primary Ukrainian exports. According to Opendatabot, during January-July of this year, the total volume of exports from Ukraine amounted to $30.3B, 8% less than in the same period of 2022. Despite the decline, among the exports of goods, the best indicators are in the agricultural sector and metal sales. This year, Ukrainian businesses increased the export of agricultural products to $13B, which is 4.5% more than in the corresponding 2021 period. However, agricultural export volumes have declined in recent months. The lowest figure was recorded in July at $1.3B. The export of metals also experienced a significant reduction: compared with the corresponding period of 2021, it decreased by over 70% to $2.4B. According to analysts, this reduction in the export of agricultural products is related to the termination of the grain agreement in July 2023. It is noted that the negative dynamics were observed back in June because some market players began to wait to see what the situation would be with sea export of food.
Ukraine has increased its exports of potatoes and meat. According to EastFruit, the export of potatoes for six months reached 19,800 tons. Ukraine last exported over 10,000 tons of potatoes in 2013, when 14,700 tons were delivered to foreign markets. It is noted that the export of potatoes for the first half of the year was 130% more than last year's figure and 280% more than the average over the past five years. Analysts note that potato prices in Ukraine remain fairly low, and producers continue to produce low-quality products. In addition, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy reported that the number of cattle, pigs, and poultry in Ukraine is growing, and the export of meat and meat products in terms of value exceeds import by 430%. In particular, the export volume of meat and meat products increased by 11.9% in the first eight months of the year and amounted to $617.1M. At the same time, imports decreased by 35.2% and amounted to $116.6M.
Poland rejects a compromise on its grain embargo after September 15.The Minister of Economic Development and Technology of Poland, Waldemar Buda, said that he would "without hesitation" sign the decree banning the import of Ukrainian grain after September 15 if the European Commission refuses to extend it. According to him, until the Polish farmers sell
40 UKRAINE Country Report October 2023 www.intellinews.com