REUTERS
Poland remained a key farm produce supplier.
Ukraine in 2018 increased imports of agricultural products by 17.4% against 2017, to US$5.5 billion.
The European Union member states remained major suppliers of agricultural products to Ukraine for the third year in a row, accounting for 49.3% of the country's agri-food imports. Shipments from Europe in monetary terms increased from $2.2 million in 2017 to $2.7 million in 2018, the press service of the National Scientific Center "Institute of Agrarian Economy" said, referring to its deputy director Mykola Pugachov.
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At the same time, food imports from Asian countries were estimated at more than $1.07 billion (19.5%), shipments from Latin America at $409 million (7.5%) and from Africa at $292 million (5.3%).
Ukraine bought farm produce mainly in Poland ($556 million), Germany ($493 million), Turkey ($382 million), Italy ($277 million), the United States and France ($242 million each), the Netherlands ($211 million), Norway ($166 million), Indonesia ($161 million), and China ($159 million).
The said countries accounted for over 53% of Ukraine's total agri-food imports in monetary terms, the expert said.
The lion's share of Ukraine's food product imports in 2018 accounted for such groups as: fish, crustaceans and mollusks (worth $550 million); fruits and nuts ($526 million); alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages ($488 million); tobacco ($418 million); various food products ($407 million); oilseeds ($341 million); and cocoa products ($307 million), the report said.
Pugachov added that shipments of all these groups last year increased in monetary and physical (except for tobacco) terms. In total, the said products accounted for over 55% of Ukraine's total agri-food imports in monetary terms.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine in 2018 boosted foreign trade in agricultural products by $1.7 billion from 2017, to $24.3 billion, including $18.8 billion in agri-food exports, according to Ukraine's Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry.