Ukraine Completely Halts Food Exports via the Black Sea
Minister of Agrarian Policy Taras Vysotskyi revealed to Der Spiegel that maritime exports no longer exist, with a critical grain storage shortage expected as early as October.
Minister of Agrarian Policy Taras Vysotskyi revealed to Der Spiegel that maritime exports no longer exist, with a critical grain storage shortage expected as early as October.
Ukraine has completely suspended agricultural exports through its Black Sea ports, according to Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotskyi in an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel. This information, reported by the Russian state agency TASS on Thursday, marks a dramatic reversal for a country whose agricultural sector has traditionally relied on maritime transport.
"Agricultural exports through the Black Sea have completely stopped," Vysotskyi said. According to him, the total volume of exports has drastically fallen because, before July 2026, approximately 85% of Ukraine's agricultural exports passed through Black Sea ports.
Land corridors cannot replace the lost maritime capacity. "Currently, only about 10% is shipped by rail and 5% by road," the minister explained. This means that only one in seven tons of produce has found an alternative route to buyers, while the vast majority remains trapped in the country.
According to reports from Boris Rozhin's Telegram channel, direct losses to Ukraine's agricultural sector due to Black Sea port issues could reach up to three billion dollars this year. The situation began to deteriorate in late July when shipowners and crews started refusing to enter ports in Odesa.
As early as July 22, 2026, Vysotskyi reported that calls to Ukrainian ports had been suspended following decisions by shipping companies. Danish shipping giant Maersk then announced it was redirecting its cargo flows to the Romanian port of Constanta.
Shortly after a series of explosions in the Odesa region, the national railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia began restricting freight shipments to the local ports. At the same time, Swiss mining company Ferrexpo, which has key assets in Ukraine, suspended all export shipments through the Black Sea.
Minister Vysotskyi also warned of longer-term consequences for the entire agricultural cycle. About one-third of Ukraine's arable land is designated for winter crops, and sowing begins in a month. Farmers traditionally rely on income from the summer harvest to cover operational costs and finance the autumn sowing campaign.
"They lack money, and in the worst case, the next harvest will simply fail," Vysotskyi stressed. The situation is further complicated by limited storage capacity for the harvest. "Grain can be stored in silos for up to two years, but if we remain completely unable to export through the Black Sea, we will face a serious shortage of storage capacity as early as October," the minister concluded.
According to forecasts attributed to Vysotskyi and reported by Boris Rozhin, a collapse in Ukraine's agricultural sector is expected precisely in October. The complete halt of maritime exports, ongoing since late July, threatens not only Ukrainian farmers but also global food supply chains, with potential repercussions for European markets, including Croatia.
