Ukrainian farmers exported 80 percent more products abroad in May than a month earlier, the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture reported on Tuesday. Exports are not yet at the same level as a year ago. Corn was the most exported, sunflower oil came in second place.
In total, Ukraine exported 1.7 million tons of agricultural products to other countries last month. Maize accounted for 959,000 tons, while 202,650 tons of sunflower oil went abroad.
That is considerably less than the 2.2 million tons of maize and the 501,800 tons of sunflower oil in May last year. The total export is almost twice as much as in April this year.
Ukraine is a major producer of raw materials for food worldwide. Before Russia invaded the country, Ukraine exported more than 6 million tons of grain per month. That has now fallen to 1 million tons.
The food shortages as a result of the war in Ukraine are also being felt in Dutch supermarkets. Food in general has become considerably more expensive, but between March and May sunflower oil was not available in some supermarkets.
In the meantime, most shelves have been restocked. According to the latest reports, we pay twice as much for a bottle.