Infographic - Ukrainian grain exports explained

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine's grain exports faced disruptions due to blockades by Russian military vessels in the Black Sea. However, from July 2022 to July 2023, the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a collaboration between the United Nations, Türkiye, and Russia, facilitated the export of nearly 33 million tonnes of grain and foodstuffs from Ukraine through a safe maritime corridor. The majority of this export was maize, which accounted for over 50% of the cargo, urgently exported to make room for new wheat harvests.

A significant portion (65%) of the wheat exported through this initiative reached developing countries, with maize being distributed almost equally between developed and developing nations. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) heavily relied on Ukrainian grain, purchasing 80% of its stock from Ukraine during this period, up from 50% before the war. This grain was crucial for countries like Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, and Djibouti.

Comparatively, the EU exported about 31 million tonnes of wheat in 2022/23, with destinations including Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Pakistan, and Nigeria. The war significantly impacted global food prices, causing a sharp increase in grain costs. Both the EU's solidarity lanes and the Black Sea Grain Initiative played vital roles in mitigating these price hikes by facilitating continued grain exports from Ukraine.