Ukraine nears record with 85 million tons of exports in 2024
Ukraine is approaching its second historical record for exporting agricultural products. By November 2024, the country had exported 80 million tons, and by the end of this year, the volume is expected to increase to 85 million tons.
According to the portal farmer.pl, this historic record was announced by the Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy, Vitaliy Koval, during the National Agrarian Conference "Harvest of Victory".
Ukraine is aiming for a record: this is how much agricultural produce it exports
The head of the ministry calculated that Ukraine exported 80 million tons of agricultural products in the first 11 months of this year. Experts predict that by the end of 2023, exports will increase to around 85 million tons. For comparison, in 2022, Ukraine shipped 74 million tons of grains and oilseeds abroad.
According to the minister, Ukraine is approaching another record, the second in its history, for the export of agricultural products. In 2023, the country sold products worth $22.1 billion abroad. This year, the export value could rise to $24.5 billion.
Koval also noted that compared to the previous year, Ukraine exported fewer goods to the EU. Currently, 55 percent of sales go to EU countries, down from 60 percent last year. The minister explained that this decline results from the restoration of historical markets and the opening of new ones for food from Ukraine.
Ukraine's dubious record
Ukraine is the country from which the most food products are detained at the Polish borders. The WP Finanse editorial office asked the Main Inspectorate of Commercial Quality of Agricultural and Food Products about the number of decisions concerning the detention of food products from outside the European Union that did not meet Polish market standards, made from July to the end of August 2024.
According to information provided by IJHARS, the majority of decisions involved goods originating from Ukraine (18). Additionally, decisions were made regarding goods from Moldova (4), Armenia (3), Myanmar (3), USA (2), Egypt, Vietnam, China, Serbia, Russia, and India (one decision each).
We also asked which products the inspectors' decisions concerned during the summer period. As reported by IJHARS, the most frequently questioned items were:
- frozen fruits from Ukraine – 7 decisions on 7 batches, due to the presence of spoiled fruits with mold and an unusual color for raspberries (in 5 batches), presence of cluster formations (in 3 batches), and presence of insect larvae (in 2 batches);
- grains from Ukraine (buckwheat, millet) – 7 decisions on 7 batches, due to the presence of live pests (in 7 batches) and a noticeable chemical smell (in 2 batches);
- ice cream from Ukraine – 2 decisions on 4 batches, due to improper labeling;
- wine from Moldova – 4 decisions on 4 batches, due to improper labeling;
- carbonated soft drinks from Armenia – 3 decisions on 3 batches, due to improper labeling;
- rice from Myanmar – 3 decisions on 3 batches, due to the presence of live and dead pests.
