Grain shipments to Greater Odessa ports collapse 84% in first five days of August

Railway deliveries of grain to the ports of Greater Odessa — Odessa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhne — fell 84.3% in the first five days of August compared to the same period in July, totaling just 40,800 tonnes.

The data are provided by Ukrainian brokerage company Spike Brokers, a commercial agent in the country’s grain and oilseed market.

Overall, railways transported 182,000 tonnes of grain cargo and milled products in the first five days of August, down 44.1% from the same period in July. Spike Brokers notes that Ukrzaliznytsia data show a sharp decline in rail grain flows to seaports, while overland rail crossings and road exports are operating more actively.

Via overland channels, 59,600 tonnes of agricultural products were exported through road border crossings between August 1–5, compared to 53,600 tonnes in the same period of July — a rise of 11.3%. The average daily transfer of grain cargo through border crossings in the first five days of August was 142 wagons, versus 139 wagons in July.

By direction, the largest increase was recorded on the Romanian route — up to 31.2 wagons per day, which is 29.3 wagons more than the July level. Poland increased transfers to 27.4 wagons per day (+13.8). Hungary, by contrast, reduced its figure to 23 wagons per day (-15.9), and Slovakia to 14.2 wagons per day (-2.7). The accumulation of grain wagons heading toward the border grew from 369 to 521 wagons, or by 41.2%.

Growth was also recorded on the Danube route: the number of grain wagons increased to 1,296 (+155), and the average daily unloading rose to 157 wagons (+106).

“Unlike the weaker overall pace of agricultural exports, the road channel started August more actively than July. However, its absolute capacity remains insufficient to compensate for the reduction in high-volume grain flows through seaports,” Spike Brokers said in a statement.