Kernel almost halved oil exports due to port logistics problems

The company reported a decrease in vegetable oil sales for July-September 2026, as well as a reduction in grain exports from Ukraine.

This is stated in Kernel’s operating report dated October 23, writes Latifundist.

In July-September 2026, Kernel sold 165 thousand tons of vegetable oil, which is 48% less than in the same period last year. The main reason for the drop was problems with port logistics, due to which the company could not actually ship oil through Black Sea ports for most of the quarter.

At the same time, the volume of oilseed processing remained almost unchanged compared to 2025. During the quarter, the company processed 564 thousand tons of raw materials – 1% more than last year.

Sunflower accounted for 59% of processed raw materials. The rest was soybeans and rapeseed, which helped the company maintain plant capacity.

Compared to April-June 2026, processing decreased by 13%. The company explained this by planned repairs, due to which the plants were stopped for about a month before the start of the new season.

Russian attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure and civilian vessels also affected other areas of the company’s work. In particular, grain exports from Ukraine decreased by 54% to 574 thousand tons, and transshipment at export terminals fell by 59% to 742 thousand tons.

Kernel redirected part of its cargo through Danube ports and the western border. However, these routes could not fully replace Black Sea ports due to lower throughput and higher transportation costs.

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