Currently, Ukrainian agribusiness works in extremely difficult conditions and demonstrates flexibility and efficiency in the face of the Russian invasion. Due to the complex logistics of grains, agriculture is being reoriented, farmers are increasingly betting on oil crops. This is reported by Ministry of Agrarian Policy.
“The war forces us to look for alternative and non-standard solutions for the export of Ukrainian agricultural products. The pipeline for the export of oil will be in demand even after the war, since Ukraine is and will remain the world leader in the export of vegetable oil. This is a long-term project that will change the market. The idea is to export vegetable oil from Polish ports to third countries. The planned capacity is up to two million tons of oil per year,” said First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotskyi.
We note that last week Ukraine and Poland signed memorandum regarding the construction of a pipeline that will transport oil from Ukraine to Poland.
As Taras Vysotsky emphasized, there is no such line anywhere in the world. The new transport corridor should be operational already next year.
He noted that Ukrainian farmers choose oil crops as an alternative to grains. After all, it is currently not clear how the “grain agreement” concluded in July with the mediation of the UN and Turkey will operate in the future. That is why farmers sow more and more rapeseed, sunflower and soybeans.
“One million hectares of rapeseed could be sown this year. The area, which, despite the occupation of part of the country, will roughly correspond to last year’s. Rape has already been sown on 70% of the area, which indicates that farmers generally sow oil crops,” Taras Vysotskyi emphasized.
Sowing of winter wheat, rye, barley and rape has begun in seven regions of Ukraine. However, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy expects that this autumn farmers will reduce the area of grain crops by 25-35%.
“In the case of rye, we should not expect a reduction in the area, because the cultivation is oriented towards the domestic Ukrainian market. However, the situation is different with winter wheat and barley. Due to the blockade of the ports, there are still stocks of last year’s harvest,” said Taras Vysotskyi.