Title: Ukrainian Grain Exports Decline by 17.7%

Data from the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture shows that Ukraine's grain exports dropped by 17.7% in the ongoing 2022-2023 season to 36.9 million tons as of March 27, reflecting decreased crop production and logistical challenges caused by the Russian invasion. The ministry reported that Ukraine exported 44.8 million tons of grain during the same period last year. The current season, which started in July of last year and will end in June, includes exports of approximately 12.6 million tons of wheat, 21.7 million tons of corn, and 2.27 million tons of barley. The ministry added that grain exports in March reached 4.63 million tons as of this past Monday. After a blockade that lasted nearly six months due to the Russian invasion last year, three Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea resumed operations under an agreement between Moscow and Kyiv, mediated by the United Nations and Turkey. Projections indicate a decline in grain production in Ukraine, one of the world's largest grain producers and exporters, to around 53 million tons in 2022, compared to a record 86 million tons in 2021. The government expects Ukraine's grain production to reach 44.3 million tons in 2023, including 16.6 million tons of wheat.