War-Time Grain Exports Record Set by Ukraine

Over 1,000 merchant vessels have navigated through Ukraine's grain corridor in the Black Sea, established seven and a half months ago, surpassing the efficiency of the previous United Nations-supported Black Sea Grain Initiative in terms of exports.

February saw a 30% increase in Ukrainian grain exports via sea compared to the previous year, reaching 5.4 million tonnes. This figure is the highest since the conflict began two years ago, as per Clarksons Research. Before the conflict initiated by Russia in February 2022, Ukraine's monthly food exports through the Black Sea were about 6 million tonnes.

Recently, Ukraine celebrated the dual milestone of exceeding 30 million tonnes of grain exports and surpassing 1,000 ships through its newly established grain corridor. This corridor was formed in late July of the previous year following Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

The corridor's route allows ships to depart from the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhny, taking paths either through the Danube or along the coastlines of Bulgaria and Romania to reach international markets. This surge in exports has been supported by a bold military strategy, which included using drones to diminish the Russian navy's presence in the Black Sea.

For the 2023/24 crop year, Ukraine is projected to have an exportable surplus of about 50 million tonnes, with the majority expected to be shipped via maritime routes.