Economy minister: Ukraine reaches pre-war level of exports in April

Ukraine exported more than 13 million tons of products totaling $3.3 billion in April, which is higher than volumes for February 2022 before the start of the full-scale invasion, Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on May 1.

The growth was driven by the opening of an alternative sea corridor, as well as a ship insurance programs and the expansion of Solidarity Lanes, according to Svyrydenko.

As Russia pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2023, Kyiv opened a new corridor the following month. Initially envisioned as a humanitarian corridor to allow the departure of ships stranded there since the start of the full-scale war, it has since grown into a full-blown trade route. Immediately after the collapse of the deal, Russia started targeted attacks on ports in southern Ukraine.

Over 36 million metric tons of goods have been shipped through this corridor as of early April since its opening, Svyrydenko said.

"In April, we had a record export volume of 13.1 million tons since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This is 1.3 million tons more than in March and more than Ukraine exported in February 2022," the minister said.

The Unity ship insurance program, created jointly with the British government and a pool of insurance companies, has helped facilitate exports of agricultural products, metals, and non-military goods.

In addition, exports have been reportedly boosted by the expansion of the capacity of the "Solidarity Lanes," primarily with Moldova and Romania, as well as improved conditions for the rail transportation of goods to the Danube River ports.

The EU Commission presented the "Solidarity Lanes" in May 2022 to facilitate Ukraine's agricultural exports, even before Turkey and the U.N. brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July of that year.

"We continue to work on increasing exports, especially non-raw exports, as this is an important component of our Made in Ukraine policy," Svyrydenko said.

"Along with the increase in production volumes and attraction of investments in the real sector, this will contribute to the development of the economy."

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The Kyiv IndependentLiliane Bivings