How Grain Exports Plummeted Due to the Blockade of Ukrainian Ports
In August, Ukraine saw a slowdown in the pace of exports of major grain crops due to attacks on port infrastructure.
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, as of August 12, total exports since the start of the 2026/27 marketing year amounted to 2.952 million metric tons. This is still 4.8% higher than the figure for the same period last year, but the current trend in August shows a decline.
During the first 12 days of August, wheat shipments totaled only 175,000 metric tons, whereas for the entire month of July last year, this figure reached 759,000 metric tons, and total exports of the crop for the season fell by 20%. A similar decline was recorded for barley, with exports totaling 37,000 metric tons since the beginning of August. Corn exports over nearly a month and a half decreased by 39.9%—to 827,000 metric tons, of which only 68,000 metric tons were shipped in the first days of August.
This is according to statistics from the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food.
Ukraine is considering the possibility of transporting grain by rail through Moldova to the Romanian port of Constanța as a safer alternative to sea exports. Kyiv has already appealed to Chișinău to establish a reduced tariff for such shipments.
As a reminder, grain exports from Ukraine could fall by more than half.
