Ukrainian grain exports to Turkey could increase if Russian traders stopped exporting to the country, the Ukrainian Grain Association’s President Volodymyr Klimenko has said, the Interfax Ukraine news agency reports.
"If Russia stops exports, then the traditional supplier to the country is Ukraine. We have much to export to the country. Not only wheat and corn, but also sunflower oil," said Klimenko.
According to the Ukrainian Agrarian Business Club (UCAB), the top 10 Russian agricultural products that were sold on the Turkish market were worth USD 78 million in the entire 2014.
According to Yelyzaveta Malyshko, a leading grain-market expert at the UkrAgroConsult consulting agency, Turkey is very demanding regarding grain quality and typically buys small shiploads of 3,000-10,000 tons.
Read more: Ukraine Could Earn Over USD 75 Million If Turkey Embargoes Russian Products
"Ukraine exported 400 tons of maize and 105,000 tons of wheat to Turkey in the first four months of the 2015/2016 marketing year. Our exports to that country totaled 329,000 tons of grain in the entire 2014/2015 marketing year, but it will not be a problem to increase them this year," she said.
According to Maria Kolesnik, the head of the analytical department at the AAA consulting company, Russia supplied 5.5 million tons of grain to Turkey in the 2014/2015 marketing year, which is 18% of Russia’s total grain exports.
"Ukrainian wheat may partially occupy the niche that is being vacated. The quality of our food grain is high. Therefore, I think that our traders will quickly orient themselves in the case of such necessity," the expert added.
According to her, Turkey is also the largest importer of Russian sunflower oil. If exports are suspended, Ukrainian companies will also increase their exports to the country because the sunflower harvest in Ukraine this year is large - about 11 million tons.
As reported, Russian grain exporters have temporarily suspended conclusion of contracts for export of grain to Turkey for fear of restrictive measures.
