Ukraine exported 148,000 tons of grain in the first five days of June, bringing its total from July to June 2021-22 to 47.2 million tons, the country's Agriculture Ministry said on Monday, Reuters reported. The ministry said the total volume includes 18.578 million tons of wheat, 22.4 million tons of corn and 5.7 million tons of barley, with corn shipments dominating early June, Reuters reported.

Ukraine exported up to 6 million tons of grain a month before Russia invaded the country on February 24, but in recent months volumes have dropped to about 1 million tons, sparking concerns about global grain shortages and price increases.Ukraine reached 54.9 million tons of wheat, corn and barley exports in 2019-2020, but fell to 44.9 million tons in 2020-21, mainly due to lower wheat production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Services (USDA). Prior to the invasion of Russia, Ukraine had been projected to export 63.7 million tons of grain in 2021-22.

Ukraine, a major agricultural producer that is among the world's largest exporters of corn and wheat, used to ship most of its products through seaports, but was forced by russia's invasion and blockade to export by train across its western border or through its small Danube river ports.

Agriculture and transportation officials said Ukraine intends to increase export capacity at Danube river ports, which would allow grain to be sent to Romanian Black Sea ports. The EU has also pledged to create more routes for Ukraine to export its grain, while Turkey has been working with Russia to increase Ukraine's grain exports.

Source: Agrolink