Ukraine may run out of grain storage capacity due to Russian attacks on its ports
As early as November 2026, Ukraine may face a critical shortage of grain storage capacity. This is due to systematic Russian strikes on the port infrastructure of Greater Odesa, which have significantly hampered the export of Ukrainian agricultural products.
The Ukrainian side was represented by Deputy Minister of Economy and Environment Denys Bashlyk, and Norway was represented by Kristin Enstad, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Kingdom of Norway in Ukraine.
According to Bashlyk, since the beginning of 2026, Russian forces have carried out more than 180 strikes on Ukraine’s port infrastructure.
At the same time, three deep-water ports, through which more than 90% of Ukraine’s agricultural exports previously passed, are currently not operational.
“This year alone, port infrastructure has been hit more than 180 times, and the three deep-water ports through which more than 90% of Ukraine’s agricultural exports used to pass are currently out of service. Under these conditions, we may face a critical shortage of grain storage capacity as early as November,” Bashlyk said.
According to him, Ukraine needs swift solutions and support from international partners to preserve the harvest and prevent disruptions in agricultural exports.
During the talks, representatives from Ukraine and Norway discussed specific measures to strengthen the resilience of the agricultural sector amid the war.
Key areas of cooperation include:
- providing farmers with grain silos for temporary storage of the harvest;
- supporting humanitarian demining of agricultural land;
- developing logistics infrastructure;
- supplying agricultural machinery.
The parties also agreed to work on developing value-added processing of agricultural products, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable production.
Special attention was given to attracting investment into the Ukrainian agricultural sector.
The Ukrainian side thanked the government and people of Norway for their consistent support of Ukraine and agreed to further expand cooperation to ensure the continuity of Ukrainian agricultural exports.
This was reported by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy following a meeting with representatives of the Norwegian Embassy in Ukraine.
Russia’s blockade of ports in the Odesa region could lead to a sharp rise in global food prices. For the poorest segments of the population in some countries, food may become unaffordable.
Maersk Group, the global leader in container shipping, is launching its first container service to the ports of Greater Odesa since the start of the full-scale war.
We would also like to remind you that the world’s largest container shipping company, Moller-Maersk, has laid off 10,000 workers due to the decline in the maritime container shipping market.
