According to statistical data published on the European Commission's website, Ukraine ranks third among the main exporters of agricultural products to the EU and 14th among the most significant importers of European agricultural products for the period of January to May 2023.
"Imports from Ukraine continued to be at a high level over the beginning of the year (+EUR 2.1 billion, +60% from January to May 2023, compared to the same period last year). It remains the third source of EU agri-food imports over the beginning of the year, with large increase in flows of cereals, oilseeds, poultry and eggs and sugar & isoglucose," the report states.
As noted, in absolute terms, Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU increased from €6.927 billion in 2021 to €13.2 billion in 2022. During the period from January to May 2023, the growth of agricultural imports from Ukraine to the EU amounted to 60% compared to the same period in 2022 - from €3.53 billion to €5.65 billion.
At the same time, Ukraine remains an important destination for European agricultural exports, ranking 14th among the largest importers of European agricultural products. In absolute figures, the indicators of agricultural imports from the EU to Ukraine in 2022 decreased compared to 2021 to €2.93 billion (from €3.1 billion). However, in the first five months of 2023, agricultural imports from the EU to Ukraine increased by 37% (+€384 million) compared to the same period last year, reaching €1.4 billion.