REUTERS
Grain crops exports worth US$4.8 billion are in the lead among export-oriented staples.
The Ukrainian Food Export Board (UFEB) says raw materials accounted for the lion's share in exports of agricultural products from Ukraine in January-September 2018, while the country has a significant potential for shipments of finished products.
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"Raw materials continue to be key export staples. At the same time, these products follow global environmental trends as both production and sales of organic products are growing. Noteworthy, although now our key export commodities are raw materials, we have a significant potential for sales of finished products abroad. Ukrainian manufacturers are able to create high-quality products that will be competitive on the global market. In particular, this is evidenced by growing chocolate exports," the UFEB press service said in a statement on October 9.
Experts say shipments of poultry meat, chocolate, soybean oil, rapeseed, and wheat increased most year-over-year, that is by 29%, 21%, 18%, 15%, and 6%, respectively.
In addition, grain crops exports worth US$4.8 billion are in the lead among export-oriented staples. Shipments of fats and oils, as well as ready-to-use edible fats and wax worth $3.2 billion ranked second. Then come exports of seeds and fruit of oil plants, straw and fodder, estimated at $1.4 billion, meat and edible offal exports worth $478.9 million, as well as exports of milk and dairy products, eggs and natural honey. Exports of the said products account for 85% of the total shipments of food and agricultural products abroad.
As UNIAN reported earlier, total revenue from Ukrainian farmers' exports in 2017 rose by 16% to almost $18 billion.