Ukrainian minister calls on EU to extend duty-free, quota-free trade with Ukraine

MOSCOW. March 27 (Interfax) - Ukraine expects duty-free and quota-free trade with the European Union to continue, also counting on the EU's understanding and support in the situation around Ukrainian exports, Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Nikolai Solsky said at a meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels on Wednesday.

"If we analyze the figures that we have today, it turns out that we are discussing problems the scale of which is actually far smaller. Unfortunately, the Ukrainian agrarian sector has become the object of negative myths that have no real economic grounds, but are mostly the product of political trends," Ukrainian media quoted Solsky as saying. The text of his speech has been released by the ministry's press service.

Ukraine's grain exports to the EU have returned to the 2022 level, the minister said. Ukraine has not been supplying wheat, sunflower, corn and rapeseed to neighboring countries for almost a year, and has been exporting its farm produce mainly by sea, he said.

Of the 17 million tonnes of agricultural products exported since the beginning of this year, around 12 million tonnes have left Ukraine from the Greater Odessa ports, a further 3 million tonnes or so have been transported via the Danube River and a mere 2 million tonnes have been transported overland, mostly by rail, to neighboring EU countries, Solsky said.

"The amount of our exports that transits Poland per month is the same as that shipped from Ukrainian sea ports in one day. The cost of exporting from Ukraine by sea is now far more competitive than that of overland exports," Solsky said.

Ukrainian agricultural exports have no negative impact on EU markets, and sometimes help stabilize prices, he said.

Specifically, the share of Ukrainian poultry meat and eggs in consumption within the EU stands at less than 2% and 1%, respectively. Sugar prices in the EU are still much higher than before the crisis. If Ukrainian sugar leaves the EU market, the price will grow even further.

Ukraine is committed to free trade with the EU on competitive market terms, Solsky said.

"Any restrictions only serve to weaken Ukraine economically," he said.