Ukraine bought $7.1bn worth of agricultural products. Experts talk about critical imports

8 February 15:40

According to the State Customs Service, in 2023, the country imported agricultural products worth USD 7.1 billion, which is almost 13% more than in 2022, when the corresponding imports amounted to USD 6.3 billion. This was reported by the Institute of Agrarian Economics, according to

Products from the European Union accounted for more than half of the imports. As before, Poland remains the main supplier of agricultural products to Ukraine, from which Ukraine imported goods worth $ 950 million last year. Turkey ($ 627 million) and Germany ($ 534 million) are also among the leaders in terms of imports

Critical imports

According to Oleksandr Parashchiy, Head of Research at Concorde Capital, the growth of critical imports, i.e. goods needed by the state in wartime, is a matter of concern. First of all, it was necessary to urgently replace goods of Russian and Belarusian origin.

“We remember all those stalls with Belarusian products that seem to have disappeared now. Also, a lot of products were sold in Ukraine by companies that are somehow connected to Russia. For example, teas. There, the market share of companies linked to Russia was definitely more than 50%. The same dairy products of Belarusian or allegedly Belarusian origin. And it is obvious that when all these supplies from Russia and Belarus disappeared, some categories of goods could be in short supply,”

– said the expert in an exclusive commentary

In addition, he noted, in 2023, it was still necessary to replace products that were previously manufactured in the territories under temporary occupation.

“Our production facilities that were in the occupied territories were either destroyed or destroyed – for example, a confectionery factory in Trostianets, Sumy region, which was destroyed. The owner of this company could not produce products in Ukraine, and began to supply them from other factories located in the EU, possibly in Poland. The same Pepsico, whose plant was in Mykolaiv region…”

– paraschiy added.

Остафійчук Ярослав
Editor