Data published by the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture today, Monday, October 30, 2023, showed that grain exports this month fell by almost half year-on-year to 2.15 million tons from 4.22 million tons.

The ministry said that Ukraine exported a total of 8.9 million tons of grain in the 2023-2024 season, which runs from June to July, down from 12.9 million tons in the 2022-2023 season.

Exports this season also included 4.5 million tons of wheat, 3.6 million tons of corn, and 679,000 tons of barley. In the same period last season, Ukraine exported 4.9 million tons of wheat, 6.8 million tons of corn, and 1.09 million tons of barley.

The ministry did not provide an explanation for the decline, while traders' and farmers' unions said the closure of Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea and Russian attacks on ports overlooking the Danube River are the main reasons for the drop in exports.

Ukraine usually ships most of its exports through its ports on the Black Sea.

The agreement, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey that allowed these exports in July, collapsed when Russia withdrew from it, saying its demand to lift sanctions on its grain and fertilizer exports was not met.