Ukraine exported a record amount of sugar in 2024
Despite war and disrupted logistics, Ukraine exported over 746,000 tons of sugar in 2024, earning $419 million. According to Ukrtsukor’s Yana Kavushevska, free trade with the EU and reopened Odessa ports enabled expanded exports. With EU-bound exports dropping to 40%, Ukrainian sugar reached global markets, boosting profitability and acting as a financial lifeline for farmers.
Despite a full-scale war, logistical chaos, and a decrease in domestic consumption, Ukrainian sugar producers set a historic record in 2024: exporting over 746 thousand tons of sugar and earning $419 million in foreign currency. This was reported by the head of the National Association of Sugar Producers of Ukraine “Ukrtsukor” Yana Kavushevska, according to agronews.ua.
According to her, since sugar is a product of deeper processing that can be easily transported by road, its export was possible even in conditions of traditional logistic routes destruction and the closure of Odessa ports.
“In this sense, free trade with the European Union has been a lifeline for Ukrainian sugar producers – both manufacturers and farmers who grow sugar beets. This has only strengthened the position of sugar as a kind of currency for Ukrainian farmers, which can be converted into funds at any time. Thus, in 2022, farmers who had ‘sugar savings’ were able to convert them through exports. It is worth noting that at that time the price of sugar in Europe was quite high, making the export very profitable,” emphasizes Y. Kavushevska.
Furthermore, the expert noted that with the opening of the ports of Greater Odessa at the end of 2023, it became easier to export sugar, and Ukrainian producers expanded the geography of exports beyond the EU.
“Moreover, the need for diversification is becoming more pronounced among our European colleagues who have faced a significant increase in the volume of Ukrainian sugar on the EU markets. So, if in 2023, 98% of Ukrainian sugar exports were to EU countries, in 2024 this figure decreased to 40%. Thus, the ability to export to both EU and global markets by sea, under favorable price conditions, enabled the achievement of these record figures,” added Y. Kavushevska.
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Source : Agro News
