The government has estimated the potential losses farmers could face due to the port blockades
Russian strikes on the port infrastructure of Greater Odesa threaten to cause losses of between $1.5 billion and $3 billion to the Ukrainian agricultural sector, as approximately 90% of grain and oilseed crops are exported through Black Sea ports.
Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotsky, during a meeting with Spanish Ambassador Ricardo López-Aranda Hagu, emphasized that alternative rail, road, and Danube routes are capable of handling only up to 50% of exports and increase logistics costs by 50–70 euros per metric ton.
In addition, according to the ministry’s forecasts, the shortage of storage capacity for the harvest could reach 11 million metric tons this fall, prompting the development of programs to provide farmers with grain silos and affordable credit, while Spain has confirmed its readiness to support the development of alternative logistics.
As a reminder, Ukraine’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sibiga stated that Russian attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea could trigger a sharp rise in global food prices and hit the poorest countries hardest.
In the Black Sea, Russia attacked a foreign merchant ship flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda. One person was killed, and three others were injured.
