REUTERS
Exports of Ukrainian agricultural products grew by 4.5% in 2016 against 2015, to $15.5 bln, accounting for 42.5% of total Ukrainian exports, according to Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Olha Trofimtseva.
"Exports of the Ukrainian agrarian sector, including the processing industry, showed remarkable results in 2016. The figures speak for themselves. Foreign trade turnover of the agri-industrial complex products amounted to $19.6 bln in 2016," Trofimtseva said.
"Actually farm produce exports rose by 4.5%. We also see considerable potential for further increase in exports of agricultural and food products, while diversifying the commodity structure, as well as an increase in the share of processed high value-added food products in total exports," she added.
Read alsoUkraine agricultural production cost rises almost 14% in 2016The Agrarian Policy Ministry said that grain crops, oil, oilseeds, soybeans, sugar and meat were traditionally the main export products in 2016. Key markets are Asian countries (45.9% of exports, to $7 bln), the EU (27.5% of exports, to $4.2 bln), Africa (15.7% of exports, to $2.4 bln), the CIS countries (7.7% of exports, to $1.2bln), and the U.S. (0.9% of exports, to $45 mln).
As UNIAN reported earlier, the export of farm produce from Ukraine in 2015 stood at $14.6 bln, accounting for 38.1% in the total national exports. In 2015, Ukraine exported 45% of its food products to Asia, 28.2% to Europe, 13.6% to Africa, and 10% to the CIS member states. Grain crops accounted for 16% of total exports, fats and oil for 9%, and oilseeds for 4% of Ukrainian agricultural exports, according to the Agrarian Policy Ministry's estimates.