The cost of transporting grain to the port is 20-40% of its price

Most of the volume of grain transportation abroad is provided by the Ukrainian railway.

This was stated by the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Solsky in an interview with Agropolit, reports the railway magazine Railway Supply.

According to the official, export cargo is transported by rail to ports on the Danube and directly to the Romanian seaport of Constanta. Also now they are building logistics to the ports of the Baltic countries.

Earlier, Latvia and Lithuania have already confirmed their interest in such cooperation.

According to the official, the average cost of the transport component of transporting grain by rail or by road to loading onto a ship adds 20 to 40% to the price of exported agricultural products, depending on the specific crop.

The government is also working to ensure the transportation of agricultural products by all possible means of transport. In particular, the issue of grain delivery by barges through the ports of the Danube and by trucks is being considered. To do this, work is being done to improve the throughput of grain carriers and the work of customs.

“Today, the government simplifies as much as possible all licensing procedures within the country related to the acceleration of grain logistics. There are agreements with other countries on the maximum simplification of transit, assistance with infrastructure, reorientation to Ukrainian business, etc. There are things that can be implemented only in partnership with large state-owned companies – Ukrzaliznytsia, Polish Railways. For example, to organize additional points for the replacement of wheelsets at the border,” the minister stressed.

He clarified that until the end of hostilities, grain will be transported through the western borders.

Work continues to create a backup elevator infrastructure in the regions. “This issue requires joint efforts of the parliament, government and business. The authorities will simplify all procedures for obtaining land, building, creating and connecting the necessary capacities,” the official said.

The minister also spoke about providing farmers with fuel. According to him, due to the recent bombing of fuel depots by the invaders, many farmers and traders store part of the diesel in tanks. “Accordingly, there are fewer tanks left to transport fuel. Also, farmers no longer buy fuel for several months in advance, but do it only for the coming weeks. The complication of logistics leads to an increase in the cost of fuel,” said Nikolai Solsky.

As previously reported, UZ transported more than 900 000 tons of grain in March. In addition, the shipment of grain in the direction of Moldova and Romania has significantly increased.

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