Ukraine updates agri-exports record in 2019, supplies products worth US$22.4 bln

Ukraine in 2019 updated its historical record of agri-exports, having supplied to foreign markets agricultural products worth US$22.4 billion, which was almost 20% up from 2018. At the same time, agricultural products accounted for 44.6% of Ukraine's total exports, while maintaining leadership in its export commodity structure, the press service of the National Scientific Center "Institute of Agrarian Economics" said on February 18. Experts note a number of records in terms of the volume of agricultural product shipments abroad as the last year's feature for the Ukrainian economy. In particular, exports of grain (56.7 million tonnes) and sunflower oil (6.1 million tonnes) were record high over Ukraine's independence. Among other goods, which are not usually top the list of Ukraine's exports, are record high shipments of non-condensed milk and cream without sugar (25,000 tonnes), fresh eggs in shells and without (144,000 tonnes), walnuts (68,000 tonnes), starch (83,000 tonnes) and canned tomatoes (59,000 tonnes). "An increase in supplies to all three key regions, namely Asia, the European Union, and Africa was the decisive factor for the total growth in agricultural exports last year," the press service said. Asian countries purchased a record number of Ukrainian agricultural products worth US$9.4 billion, which was 17% up against 2018. Their share was 42.2% in total Ukrainian agricultural exports last year. Ukraine's agri-food shipment to the European Union reached a record high US$7.5 billion (19% up from 2018), accounting for 33.5% in the country's agri-exports there. Shipments of Ukrainian agricultural products to African countries in 2019 grew by 43% against 2018, to US$3.3 billion. The share of the region in Ukraine's total agri-exports was about 15%. At the same time, Ukraine's agricultural food supplies to the CIS countries remained at the level of 2018 and amounted to US$1.5 billion (6.5% of Ukraine's agri-exports). Major consumers of Ukrainian agricultural products last year were China (purchases reach US$1.95 billion), Egypt (US$1.67 billion), India (US$1.55 billion), Turkey (US$1.54 billion), and the Netherlands (US$1.47 billion). Noteworthy, exports of grain, various oils, oilseeds, food industry residues and waste, as well as meat products accounted for 85% of all Ukrainian agricultural exports last year. As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine in 2019 managed to keep its position among the Top 3 exporters of agricultural products to the European Union, taking third place following the United States and Brazil, but overrunning China, according to the report by the European Commission. In 2018, Ukraine's foreign trade in agricultural products increased by US$1.7 billion, to US$24.3 billion. Exports of Ukrainian agricultural products reached a record US$18.8 billion, while imports stood at US$5.5 billion, according to the Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture Ministry.

Ukraine updates agri-exports record in 2019, supplies products worth US$22.4 bln

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