Main crops produced in Ukraine
In 2021, Ukraine harvested nearly 65 million metric tons of grain and leguminous crops, a category that constituted the most significant portion of the country’s agricultural crop production. Corn, wheat, and barley were the most produced grain types. In the marketing year 2022/2023, Ukraine was expected to produce 27 million metric tons of corn and 21 million metric tons of wheat, approximately 36 percent less than in the previous 12-month period. In 2022, the country exported corn worth approximately six billion U.S. dollars, the highest value over the past decade.What is the Black Sea Grain Initiative?
The invasion led to a complete halt of grain shipments from Ukraine via the Black Sea. In July 2022, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations (UN) signed the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an agreement that enabled safe navigation with the purpose of grain and other related foodstuffs transportation from the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhne. The largest share of Ukrainian agricultural exports secured by the initiative went to China, Spain, and Turkey. Corn and wheat constituted about 80 percent of the products exported, with wheat being mainly supplied to developing countries. In July 2023, the Russian government suspended its participation in the deal, which is expected to negatively impact food markets across the world.Ukraine and the EU agricultural market
Prior to 2022, the major export destinations of Ukrainian grain were in Asia and North Africa. In February 2022, the export flow changed its direction to Europe. In June 2022, the European Commission suspended import duties on Ukrainian agri-foods in the European Union (EU) to support the Ukrainian economy. In several Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, which significantly increased cereal imports from Ukraine, imported agri-foods became cheaper than the local produce.The grain glut resulted in dissatisfaction among local farmers as well as logistical issues. To protect their own markets, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Bulgaria announced temporary bans on imports of some agricultural products from Ukraine in the spring of 2023. In response, the European Commission paused wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower seed imports from Ukraine to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia between May 2 and June 5, 2023, while the countries with unilateral bans committed to lift them. Furthermore, the suspension of tariffs was renewed until June 5, 2024. In Poland, one third of the population approved of duty-free imports from Ukraine.
