REUTERS
The European Union members states are in the lead among Ukraine's sales markets.
Acting Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Olha Trofimtseva says the country in January 2019 boosted farm produce exports by 22.5% year-over-year (y-o-y), to US$1.7 billion.
"According to the results of the first month of 2019, Ukrainian agricultural exports continued to grow, having increased by $321 million against January 2018," the ministry's press service quoted Trofimtseva as saying on March 5.
The top three staples of Ukrainian farm produce exports traditionally remain grain crops (accounting for 44.6% of Ukraine's agri-exports), sunflower oils (19.8%), and oilseeds (9.9%).
Trofimtseva also noted regional changes in the structure of agri-exports.
"The European Union member states are in the lead among our sales markets. We exported products worth $668 million there in January of this year. Asian countries follow our European neighbors with a little more than $641 million [in agri-exports], while Africa ranked third where Ukraine shipped agricultural products worth $292.2 million over the period under review," the official said.
Read alsoExports of Ukrainian farm produce to EU grow to US$6.3 bln last year
Major buyers of Ukrainian farm produce over the period under review were Egypt ($153.6 million), the Netherlands ($149.9 million), India ($143.9 million), Spain ($135.8 million), and Turkey ($112.3 million).
At the same time, given the positive trends in farm produce exports and their importance in terms of forex earnings, it is necessary to focus on export logistics, especially by rail, for grains and oilseeds.
"Due to the fact that critical logistical issues remain on the agenda, the Agrarian Policy Ministry and business representatives, decided to resume the regular work of the interdepartmental headquarters to promptly solve problems of logistics in agriculture, focusing not only on current issues, but also on more strategic topics of agrarian logistics," the official said.
Trofimtseva added that food imports in the first months of 2019 also grew by 9.5% y-o-y to $462.6 million. Major staples in Ukraine's imports were nuts, fish, tobacco and products made of it, cocoa beans and chocolate, cereals, coffee, tea, spices, and vegetable oil.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine's total agri-exports in 2018 increased by 5% from 2017 to a record high $18.8 billion.
At the same time, Ukraine increased the foreign trade turnover of agricultural products by $1.7 billion to $24.3 billion.