Ukraine exported 4.2 million metric tonnes of wheat and corn in July, compared to approximately 2.1 million during the same period last year.
Ukraine has managed to double its monthly grain exports year-on-year despite Russian attacks on key Black Sea ports.
According to Ukraine’s UGA traders’ union, the country exported 4.2 million metric tonnes of wheat and corn in July, compared to around 2.1 million a year earlier.
This achievement comes despite Russia targeting key Black Sea ports, including Odesa and Izmail, a port along the Danube River, with precision missiles.
However, Ukraine, a major global producer of wheat and corn, has cautioned that overall exports for the 2024/25 season are expected to decline due to unfavourable weather affecting its harvest and the ongoing war impacting its ability to transport produce.
Prior to Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Ukraine typically exported around 6 million tonnes of grain per month via the Black Sea.
Despite these challenges, the country has managed to maintain a shipping corridor, even after the collapse of a UN-backed and Russian-agreed Black Sea grain export initiative last year, amid Russian claims that its own exports were being hindered by sanctions.
According to Reuters, Ukraine has not yet disclosed the destinations of its exports in July, but last season it exported most of its wheat to Spain, Egypt, and Indonesia, with its corn primarily destined for Spain and China.
The news agency reported that there were six shipments of corn from Ukraine’s other two operational Black Sea ports, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi, to Rotterdam, Europe’s busiest port, and Spain’s Cartagena in June and July.
