Ukraine can export up to 20 million tons of grain through Baltic ports

Ukraine is considering the Baltic ports as one of the alternative routes for agricultural exports amid Russian attacks on the port infrastructure of Great Odesa.

This was reported by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food following the meeting between Minister Taras Vysotskyi and his Estonian counterpart Hendrik Johannes Terras.

According to the Ukrainian side, up to 20 million tons of grain can potentially be exported through the Baltic ports. These include, in particular, routes through Gdansk, Klaipeda, Liepaja and Hamburg.

The main obstacle remains the cost of logistics. Using the Baltic route adds about $100 to the cost of transporting one ton of Ukrainian grain.

To compensate for these costs, Ukraine needs to attract from $1.5 billion to $2 billion. Kyiv has already turned to the EU and other international partners with a proposal to provide appropriate financial support.

According to Vysotsky, more than 90% of Ukrainian agricultural products were previously exported through Black Sea ports. Currently, about 44% of the required volumes are exported via alternative routes, and this figure can potentially be increased to 50%.

Further increase in exports without restoring stable operation of seaports, according to the minister, remains extremely difficult.

Read also: Almost the entire Black Sea has become a military risk zone: how this will change the cost of shipping.