By the end of May, Ukraine will export all remaining grain from the 2023 harvest, which will lead to a slight increase in its prices both on the domestic and world markets, said the president of the Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA) Mykola Gorbachev on Thursday at the Black Sea Grain conference in Kiev.
At the end of the season we will see the price increase slightly as Ukraine will be able to export almost all of its residues by the end of May. The month of June will pass almost without anything (no grain exports – editor’s note). The world price will increase slightly. In Europe, yields will be lower. Prices will be slightly better for our agricultural producers, Gorbachev said.
Gorbachev also expressed hope for improving logistics, in particular the operation of Odessa’s ports. This will allow Ukrainian farmers in 2025 to focus not only on profitable crops that are not profitable for them in the current season, but also to increase production in all sectors of the agro-industrial complex.
Will Poland and France oppose the export of Ukrainian grain in 2024?
Among the difficulties that export companies will encounter in the 2024 season, the president mentioned the expected alliance of France and Poland, which will oppose access of Ukrainian grain to the European market. In his opinion, these two countries will lobby for the introduction of legislative and sanitary restrictions that will hinder Ukrainian business.
At the same time, Gorbachev expressed his belief that this would encourage the Ukrainian agricultural business to look for new markets.
It makes sense that we will find them. Regardless of whether it is Africa or additional shipments to Asia, we will still sell all the grain. Competition will appear again somewhere, somewhere we will have to give up something or supplement something. (…) Next year we will be even stronger because we need it, Gorbachev concluded.