REUTERS
Exports of Ukrainian goods and services decreased by 30.8% over nine months of 2015, to $34.3 billion, compared to the same period last year, Ukraine Trade Representative and Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade Nataliya Mykolska wrote on Facebook.
The decline in Ukrainian exports was caused by the annexation of Crimea, Russia's aggression in eastern Ukraine, the destruction of infrastructure in industrial regions of the country, decrease in exports to traditional markets, primarily Russia, due to the introduction of all kinds of restrictive measures by the Russian government. The situation is also aggravated by unfavorable financial and economic situation and the overall reduction of production capacity.
At the same time, Mykolska notes that Ukraine exports ggods to 214 countries, while the European Union has become Ukraine's key partner, accounting for 31.8% of the total export. The share of the Russian market in the Ukrainian export made 17% during the reported period. Turkey accounts for 6.3% of the total exports. Among Ukraine's ten largest trading partners are China, the United States, India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India and Kazakhstan.
Read alsoEuropean Commissioner for Trade: We decided that DCFTA would come into force, and Russia will have to accept thatThe sectoral structure of exports looks as follows: agricultural products and food account for 36.2% ($10.2 billion) of export volumes, down 15.4% year-over-year. Steel products accounted for 26.6% ($7.4 billion) of export volumes, having dropped almost 40% compared to the same period last year. Exports of engineering products stood at 11.8% ($3.3 billion), a 43% decline y-o-y. Fertilizers and mineral products accounted for 8.6% ($2.4 billion) of the export volumes in the reported period, despite the fact that this economic segment saw a decline in production output of more than 52%.
Exports of chemical products amounted to 7% (almost $2 billion) against a backdrop of a 33% production decline in the sector in the reported period.
Regionally, the largest drop in exports was recorded in war-torn Donetsk and Luhansk regions, followed by Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Read alsoUkraine-Russia trade turnover halves in nine months of 2015As UNIAN reported earlier, according to the State Statistics Service, exports of goods from Ukraine in January-September decreased 32.7% y-o-y, to $28.113 billion, while import declined 33.6% to $27.376 billion. The export-import coverage ratio totaled 1.03 (against 1.01 in January-September 2014).