The Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture said that the country's grain exports fell by 68.5% year on year to 163,000 tons in the first six days of July, the first month of the new season 2022-2023.
Grain exports in the 2021-2022 season, which ended on June 30, increased by 8.5% to 48.5 million tons, driven by strong shipments before the Russian war on Ukraine on February 24.
Ukraine's grain exports have fallen sharply since the start of the war, as Ukraine's ports on the Black Sea, the main shipping route, have been largely closed, causing global food prices to soar and raising fears of food shortages in Africa and the Middle East.
Data from the Ministry of Agriculture showed that exports in July included 128 thousand tons of corn, 24 thousand tons of wheat and 10 thousand tons of barley.
The government announced that Ukraine could harvest at least 50 million tons of grain this year, compared to a record harvest of 86 million tons in 2021, due to the loss of land captured by Russian forces and reduced productivity.