Ukraine considers priority export access for higher — value farm goods, minister says
KYIV, Sept 18 (Reuters) — Ukraine's agriculture ministry has agreed with a proposal from farming groups to prioritise transport capacity for higher-value goods when export routes are constrained, Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi said on Friday. Vysotskyi did not say when the measure could take effect, noting that a mechanism still needs to be developed. With its seaports effectively blocked due to the war with Russia, Ukraine can currently export little more than half of its potential volumes through lower-capacity Danube ports and rail routes via Eastern European countries. "For agricultural producers, given current logistics costs, it is more economically viable to export products with higher added value," said Oleh Khomenko, head of the UCAB farming lobby. According to the ministry, logistics costs have risen by $50 per metric ton since the seaports were shut. Khomenko said products with the highest added value include poultry, which is exported for about €3,000 a ton, vegetable oil at around $1,200 a ton and oilseed meal at roughly $900 a ton. By comparison, grain sells for $150 to $170 a ton, he said. During the first years of the war in 2022 to 2023, when Russia also bloc
KYIV, Sept 18 (Reuters) — Ukraine's agriculture ministry has agreed with a proposal from farming groups to prioritise transport capacity for higher-value goods when export routes are constrained, Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi said on Friday. Vysotskyi did not say when the measure could take effect, noting that a mechanism still needs to be developed. With its seaports effectively blocked due to the war with Russia, Ukraine can currently export little more than half of its potential volumes through lower-capacity Danube ports and rail routes via Eastern European countries.
"For agricultural producers, given current logistics costs, it is more economically viable to export products with higher added value," said Oleh Khomenko, head of the UCAB farming lobby. According to the ministry, logistics costs have risen by $50 per metric ton since the seaports were shut. Khomenko said products with the highest added value include poultry, which is exported for about €3,000 a ton, vegetable oil at around $1,200 a ton and oilseed meal at roughly $900 a ton. By comparison, grain sells for $150 to $170 a ton, he said.
During the first years of the war in 2022 to 2023, when Russia also blocked Ukraine's Black Sea ports, farmers similarly prioritised exports of higher-value oilseeds while leaving lower-priced grain in storage. 7 million tons by the end of the 2026/27 season, equivalent to about one-third of the 2026 harvest. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk. com; +380503104993;)