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Ukraine has already exported almost 700,000 tons of grain through the temporary sea corridor

After the Ukrainian Navy announced the temporary corridor on August 8, 2023, about 38 vessels have entered the Ukrainian ports, and over 30 have left. The majority of Ukrainian agricultural products were delivered to European and African countries.

Photo: Oleksandr Kubrakov, Minister for Communities, Territories,
and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine

“In August, we opened a temporary corridor through the Black Sea. It operates thanks to the support of our armed forces and the trust of international partners,said Mykola Solskyi, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, while speaking at the meeting of the EU Council in Luxembourg.

According to Solskyi, about 38 vessels have entered the Ukrainian ports, and over 30 have left so far. He also reported that most Ukrainian agricultural products are currently being exported through the Danube River via Romania. In particular, in September, almost 2.3 million tons of agricultural products were exported through Danube ports. In August, this figure was slightly higher at 2.4 million tons.

“We are sincerely grateful to our Romanian colleagues for their understanding, support, and cooperation,” emphasized Mykola Solskyi.

In total, the export of Ukrainian agricultural products in September amounted to 3.6 million tons. However, the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine emphasized that such volumes are insufficient.

“We need to export approximately 6 million tons per month to sustain our agricultural sector as a key branch of the economy. Achieving this transportation volume can only be possible by restoring the full operation of the deepwater ports of the Odesa region. We see a tendency towards an increase in the number of ships departing from our ports, and we hope that it will continue,” explained Solskyi.

Ukrainian harvesters collect wheat in the settlement of Zghyrivka in the Kyiv region.
Photo: Efrem Lukatsky / AP Photo

The Ukrainian Navy announced the establishment of the temporary corridor on August 8, 2023, after the Russian Federation suspended its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative. It was primarily used to evacuate ships that had been blocked in the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa, and Pivdennyi since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. However, it has also allowed the export of Ukrainian industrial components and agricultural products, with new vessels entering the Ukrainian ports for loading and unloading.