Romania reports record volumes of Ukrainian grain transit
Фото: БЕБ
Due to a sharp increase in shipments from Ukraine and infrastructure projects funded by the European Union, the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanța recorded its highest grain exports in 2023.
According to port administration data, last year saw the shipment of 36 million metric tons of grain, a 50% increase compared to the previous year, Rubryka reports, citing Reuters.
Ukrainian grain accounted for approximately 40% of the total volume, reaching 14 million tons, compared to 13 million tons at the end of November and 8.6 million tons for the entire year 2022.
Ukraine is one of the world's largest grain exporters, and Constanța became a major alternative export route for Kyiv after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
In July, transit volumes decreased as Russia repeatedly targeted river ports located on the other side of the Danube from Romania.
In August, Ukraine established a shipping corridor from its ports, covering the western coast of the Black Sea near Romania and Bulgaria, shortly after Russia withdrew from the grain export agreement.
Romania wants to increase its transit capacity for Ukrainian grain to 4 million tons per month and is currently modernizing the railway and road infrastructure in and around the port.
On Wednesday, January 10, the port reported that the total investment in EU-funded projects in Constanța and its surroundings is €546.8 million ($598.47 million). Other projects worth €218 million are currently under consideration.
In March 2024, a new anchorage for Ukrainian agricultural products is to be launched in the Constanța seaport.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced in October his intentions to increase the transit volumes of Ukrainian grain from two to four million tons.
"We must support Ukraine in exporting its grain. Over the next month, we will try to increase the amount of grain transported through Romania from two to four million tons," Ciolacu said.
He stressed that Romania has invested significant funds in ports on the Danube and in Constanța, and Russian drone attacks on ports near Romania threaten these investments.
Ciolacu also called on other European countries to support Ukraine and impose stricter restrictions on goods from Russia. He specifically proposed a complete abandonment of Russian gas.
In late September, Ukraine's Minister of Agricultural Policy and Food, Mykola Solskyi, announced that Ukraine had developed a procedure for verifying the export of four agricultural crops in accordance with the decision of the European Commission. Ukraine does not export agricultural products to five neighboring countries without their consent at the moment.
On October 10, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the launch of a new route for the export of agro-industrial products from Ukraine, "Solidarity Lanes," through the territories of Moldova and Romania.
In October, the Romanian government adopted a resolution approving the scheme for importing a group of Ukrainian agricultural products, coordinated with Kyiv, to protect Romanian farmers.
