Category: Freight

Port security is critical: Protection of Ukrainian port infrastructure remains essential to sustain agricultural exports and global food security. Past disruptions were costly: Export blockages in 2022 contributed to a surge of more than 15% in global food prices. Ongoing defense upgrades: Ukraine is seeking international support to enhance air defense systems for ports through…

Bullish (Freight): Ukrainian grain exports are down 31.8% year-on-year, tightening Black Sea supply and underpinning rates on alternative export routes. Bearish (Grain Supply): Slower wheat and corn shipments reduce available Ukrainian export volumes, allowing competing origins to capture demand. Market Structure: Wheat exports are 20% behind last season and corn is 43% lower, encouraging buyers…

Export Growth: Kazakhstan’s grain exports rose 15% year-on-year to 3.9 million tons in the first quarter of the 2025/26 season. Investment Drive: Government plans $2.6 billion in deep grain processing projects with 4.8 million tons annual capacity by 2028. Regional Demand: Exports to Uzbekistan jumped 35% and Kyrgyzstan volumes more than doubled, reinforcing Central Asia…

Policy shift: Moldova will end its Ukrainian grain import licensing regime on January 1, 2026, reverting to standard import procedures. Limited past impact: Only 25 import licenses were issued between October 2023 and December 2025, underscoring Moldova’s minor role as a grain destination under the restrictions. Ongoing oversight: Enhanced market monitoring will remain in place,…

Oil & fats imports jump 49.3%: Vegetable oil and fat imports reached $417.3 million in Jan–Nov 2025, highlighting rapidly growing demand. Oilseed inflows up 34%: Oilseed imports climbed to $83 million, while exports grew 10% to $23 million. Grain trade expansion: Grain imports rose 10% to $919.5 million, with exports surging 42% to $501.3 million.…

Bearish: Ukraine’s agricultural export revenues declined by €2.2 billion as of December 1, 2025, with 95% of the loss linked to reduced access to the EU market. Bearish: Unpredictable EU trade policy for Ukrainian agricultural imports is undermining pricing visibility and forward freight planning. Neutral/Structural: Ukraine must implement 20 EU production standards by end-2028, creating both…

Rice policy shift: Russia ends its paddy rice export ban and introduces a quota system, signaling confidence in domestic supply and renewed export ambitions. Grain exports stabilize: 2025 grain exports projected at 53–55 million tons, aligning with the five-year average but below the 2023–2024 record, capping upside for freight demand. Logistics expansion: FESCO’s management of…

Kazakhstan and Slovenia’s Luka Koper port are negotiating integration of the Middle Corridor to create new grain export routes to Central Europe. Luka Koper processes around 23 million tonnes annually and is a key entry point for landlocked EU countries, including 33% of Austrian and 45% of Hungarian imports. A successful partnership would diversify transport…

Export boost: Dynasty Agro will ship 3,000 tons of Kazakh flaxseed oil to Japan, roughly tripling previous annual volumes of several hundred tons. Market diversification: Registration with China’s customs under the 2025 Export Acceleration Program opens a second major Asian outlet for Kazakhstan’s processed oilseed products. Value-added trend: Focus on processed flaxseed oil rather than…

Containerized grain shipments on Ukrzaliznytsia’s network dropped 13% y/y to 56,965 thousand TEUs in Jan–Nov 2025 as shippers pivoted back to specialized grain railcars. Low leasing rates of 100–200 UAH/day for grain railcars made traditional railcar transport more cost-effective than containers for exporters. Meal and cake container volumes rose 4% y/y to 24,474 thousand TEUs,…