According to Ukraine, its exports of agricultural products have nearly returned to prewar levels, reports the Wall Street Journal. The resurgence has helped to ease pressure on global food prices.
Data from the country’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food shows that it shipped 6.9 million metric tons of grain, vegetables, and edible oils in September, nearly matching the 7.1 million tons shipped in September 2021.
However, the news masks some aspects of Ukraine’s supply chain that were hit by the war: the country relies on shipping grain through the Black Sea, which is dependent on Russian cooperation, and Russia still controls a large portion of Ukrainian farmland, forcing Ukrainian farmers to plant fewer crops.
Experts warn, too, that the numbers may not be telling the full story, as many of the exports leaving the country are corn and other produce backlogs accumulated from blockades earlier this year.
In parts of the country not occupied by Russia, Elena Neroba, a manager at a Ukrainian grain broker, said that Ukrainian farmers were able to plant 2.5 million hectares of wheat from an expected 3.9 million.
Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine has deeply affected the latter country’s agricultural infrastructure: a sunflower storage facility in a Ukrainian port city was recently bombed. Full Story (Subscription Required)
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