Agrosem launches railway deliveries of corn to Austria

UKRAINE—Agrosem, a distributor of agricultural products, seeds and agricultural machinery, has launched a railway route from Ukraine to Austria, which will export batches of Ukrainian corn on a weekly basis.

The company reported on May 6 that the first train of 25 hopper cars had arrived in Austria transporting 1,450 tons of corn via the Green Corridor from the Ukraine.

Based on the average carrying capacity of grain wagons of 72 tons, the volume of a weekly consignment of corn sent to Austria will be approximately 1800 tons.

There have been particular fears of a shortage of wheat, and because of the war, only 10 percent of the previous grain quantities can currently be exported per month.

To manage the situation, Minister of Agriculture Elisabeth Köstinger announced at the summit on food security, that Austria would support the creation of green corridors in order to continue to enable deliveries of raw materials.

Austria’s location in the heart of Europe makes it ideal for acting as a hub for the onward transport of raw materials to other countries

The goal, said the minister, “is to increasingly use Austria as a hub for raw material deliveries from Ukraine.”

The usual export route for raw materials via ports on the Black Sea, such as in Odessa or on the Sea of Azov, is currently almost impossible for Ukraine due to the war.

“By enabling deliveries through the creation of Green Corridors, we are helping Ukraine, which would otherwise not be able to export its goods.

And we are helping to maintain the supply of agricultural raw materials and food,” emphasized Köstinger.

The destruction of the port in Odessa alone affects deliveries of 200,000 tons per day on four ships.

Typically, Ukraine’s global export share is 52% for sunflower oil, 16% for corn and 15% for wheat. Current estimates for 2022 assume 30 to 50% crop losses in Ukraine due to the war.

“We must do everything to ensure that Ukrainian farmers can sell their products in Europe at market prices,” stressed Oleksiy Kulik, the director of Agrosem, which is acting as a key partner between Ukrainian farmers and end buyers of corn.

Liked this article? Subscribe to Food Business Africa News, our regular email newsletters with the latest news insights from Africa and the World’s food and agro industry. SUBSCRIBE HERE