BERLIN, August 7. /TASS/. Ukraine is currently not exporting any agricultural products via the Black Sea, Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotsky stated.
"Agricultural exports via the Black Sea have completely stopped," Vysotsky said in an interview with Der Spiegel magazine.
He noted that Ukraine's overall export volume has plunged significantly, as prior to July, approximately 85% of Ukrainian agricultural exports were routed through Black Sea ports.
"Currently, only about 10% is shipped by rail and 5% by road," the minister added.
He pointed out that roughly a third of Ukraine's arable land is allocated for winter crops, with sowing set to begin in a month. According to Vysotsky, farmers typically use revenues from the summer harvest to cover operating expenses and finance the autumn sowing campaign. If producers cannot generate sales now, the entire annual agricultural cycle will be disrupted.
