Grain imports from Ukraine are putting strain on Romanian Ports

CONSTANTA, Romania — Romania’s capital city has a little over a million population. In the absence of Ukraine’s seaports, Romania’s Black Sea port of Constanta has emerged as a significant conduit for grain exports from the war-torn country in light of the rising global food crisis. 

Global food shortages have forced grain from Ukraine to be shipped through Romania’s Constanta port, which has been blocked or taken over by Russian forces.

Because of its location on Europe’s busiest wheat and maize exporting route, the port has handled roughly a million tons of grain since the invasion on February 24. 

Port operators, however, argue that maintaining, much alone increasing, the volume of cargo they handle will soon be untenable without coordinated EU backing and investment. 

According to Dan Dolghin, director of cereal operations at the Black Sea port’s leading Comvex operator. “If we want to keep helping Ukrainian farmers, we need help to increase our handling capacities.” 

Furthermore, he explained, “No single operator can invest in infrastructure that will become redundant once the war ends.” 

Russian blockade efforts have failed, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization predicts that up to 181 million people in 41 countries might face a food crisis or worsening hunger this year as a result of the Ukraine war.

An average of 72,000 tonnes of cereal is processed by Comvex each day. That, plus Constanta’s proximity to Ukraine by land and by sea to the Suez Canal makes it the finest current route for agricultural exports from Ukraine to Europe. Additionally, exports can be made across Ukraine’s western border into Poland and its Baltic Sea ports via road and rail freight.

Because of this, the port was able to ship nearly a million tons of grain from Ukraine over the past four months, the majority of which arrived by barge down the Danube River. However, Dolghin said it is likely that the rate at which Ukrainian grain is shipped through his port will slow down because 20 times that amount is still blocked in Ukraine. The summer harvest season is rapidly approaching in both Romania and other countries that use Constanta for their exports. 

Markian Dmytrasevych, who serves as the deputy minister of agriculture in Ukraine, is likewise concerned. While speaking to the European Parliament earlier this month, Dmytrasevych claimed the summertime switch by Constanta grain producers to European grain suppliers “will further complicate the export of Ukrainian products.”