Russian strikes hit Ukraine’s ports, threaten food exports
Intensified Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports this month have already disrupted the country’s food exports, raising concerns about a significant drop in trade, the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation (UAC) said.
Ukraine is a major global exporter of wheat, corn, and sunflower oil. Since early in the war, a de facto Russian blockade has worsened global food shortages. While most exports resumed in 2023, daily drone and missile strikes on Odesa region ports have reduced export capacity, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
UAC reported that some wheat exporters have already defaulted on December contracts. At least one of Ukraine’s three key export ports is operating at only 20% capacity, while river logistics routes connecting to Danube ports have also been damaged.
Export figures reflect the impact: as of December 22, only 375,000 tons of wheat had been shipped out of 1 million tons contracted. Corn exports reached 1.5 million of 2 million tons, and sunflower oil shipments were 275,000 tons of 410,000 tons. Full-month exports are unlikely to meet targets.
“Without deepwater and river ports, our exports will decline significantly,” UAC said, noting that some shipments are being rerouted to rail terminals.
The Ukrainian Economy Ministry reported that total grain exports from December 1–22 dropped to 1.82 million tons from 2.88 million tons during the same period last year, largely due to lower wheat and corn shipments.
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