Ukrainian grain export is suffering a lot from Russian blockades of seaports and import bans by neighbouring EU countries, as well as constant shelling of port infrastructure. In recent weeks, the police and tax authorities started to fight against illegal exports. This situation has paralyzed shipments from the Danube ports.
In the ports of Reni and Izmail, police carried out large-scale searches and document checks at grain transshipment and export enterprises as part of an investigation into illegal grain export schemes. The tax authorities also prohibited the delivery of goods to the ports under the companies suspected of illegal export.
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine, the main export of Ukrainian grain and oilseeds goes through the Danube ports, which shipped 2.3 million tons in September with a total export of 3.6 million tons.
From the Black Sea ports, the new corridor managed to export only 700 thousand tons of grain in August-September. So the stable operation of the Danube ports is very important. Ukraine needs to export 6 million tons of agricultural products monthly in order to preserve the agricultural industry.
Recently, inspections of operating businesses have become more frequent. Such enhanced control can complicate exports for normal market participants.