The port authority reported that Ukraine's grain exported through the Romanian Black Sea Port of Constanta in the first six months fell by 43.5% compared to the same period last year to 4,24 million metric tonnes, because Kyiv was able to rely solely on its ports this year.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Constanta port was Ukraine's primary alternative route for grain. The port has received an influx from European Union funds to increase its capacity.

The port is an important alternative route for grain arriving in Romania.

Kyiv is less dependent on Constanta because of a new shipping corridor Ukraine built in August 2023, starting from Odesa and extending along the Black Sea's western coast, near Romania and Bulgaria, after Russia pulled out of a U.N. mediated safe grain export agreement.

Romania is a major grain exporter in the EU. The port of Constanta handles shipments from the EU state and its landlocked neighbors, including Serbia, Hungary, and Moldova.

In a statement earlier this month, Ukrainian producers stated that the combined exports of grains and oilseeds are expected to be around 60 million tonnes for 2024/25. This is almost the same amount as 2023/24.

Data from the Constanta Port, which excludes volumes handled by smaller Romanian Danube Ports and rail and road exported to southern European countries, shows that 740,000 tonnes of Ukrainian grain left the port in June.

The total grain exports via Constanta were 15 million tonnes by the 30th of June, almost unchanged from last year's same period. (Reporting and Editing by Bernadettebaum)