Over the past three months, there has been positive dynamics in increasing export transportation of agricultural products across the Black Sea, which has helped Ukraine reduce pressure and reduce grain exports to the European Union, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Solsky said in a comment to the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Thursday.

“It has been like this (positive dynamics of transportation of agricultural products by sea) for the second, even third month already ... Our sea has been doing well since the fall. For example, in December, out of 7.3 million tonnes of agricultural products, approximately 5 million tonnes were exported by sea, more than 1 million tonnes - along the Danube, and the rest - through the western borders," he said and clarified that we are talking about the export of grain, sunflower oil and meal.

Solsky stated that the priority in choosing channels for exporting Ukrainian agricultural products has shifted.

“Now any market participant will confirm that prices in Ukrainian ports are 90% more competitive than on the western borders. Everything has actually changed quite significantly (thanks to the work of the sea corridor),” the minister explained.

The minister noted that during his visit to Germany as part of the Green Week exhibition, negotiations took place with a number of agricultural ministers of European countries, during which he tried to explain that the fight against the export of Ukrainian agricultural products to the European Union is “a virtual problem.”

“Even if neighboring states reset their restrictive measures on grain tomorrow, this will not change anything. Maximum exports will come from border areas where there is still grain. However, it’s already the second half of the season (sales of Ukrainian grain on world markets). That all goes to the ports, and nothing changes. The Black Sea has again become the most profitable route for the export of Ukrainian agricultural products, as it was before the war," Solsky emphasized.

He also recalled that there is a war going on in Ukraine, which does not allow making any accurate forecasts on the course of further exports of Ukrainian agricultural products and the channels through which they will go. Solsky asked to be understanding of the difficulties that Ukraine is experiencing and to take this circumstance into account in all discussions taking place around the Ukrainian agricultural sector.