Romania’s fuel exports to Ukraine increased 30-fold last year to almost 1 million tons (983,404 tons), while another 251,303 tons of fuel was transported through Romania to Ukraine, which is 96 times more than in 2021, business daily news outlet Profit.ro reports.
“With the outbreak of the war, trade in goods between Romania and Ukraine changed accordingly. We have very large supplies of fuel, products that the Ukrainians constantly demand and need,” Bogdan Mihei, head of the Romanian Customs Authority (AVR), told Profit.
“Romania has supported the Ukrainian authorities, including in the transit of goods, and has tried to facilitate Ukrainian grain deliveries to the rest of the world. Data from the customs system reflects this. As for Romania’s exports of fuels and substances for agriculture, as well as imports of cereals and oilseeds, this is a consequence of the war and Ukraine’s reorientation towards trade with EU countries,” he said.
“In general, Ukrainians want fuel products from us, and here we must also take into account the fact that the country’s energy system is the target of frequent attacks. Ukrainian grain is finding its way to foreign markets, with their Black Sea ports blocked or limited in what they can export,” Mihei said.
Ukrainian grains exports flood Romania
Meanwhile, according to the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture, the transit of Ukrainian grain has put pressure on transport logistics in Romania and increased transport prices, while imports that remain in Romania have posed competition problems for local farmers due to lower prices of Ukrainian grain.
“Ukrainian wheat and sunflower flows have created some distortions on the Romanian market, transport logistics have been affected and price indications for this have doubled or even tripled in recent months. Romanian cereal and oilseed producers have faced a specific situation with regard to Ukrainian imports of cereals and oilseeds into Romania, as large volumes of wheat and sunflower have entered the market, which no longer transit the territory for export to member states or third countries, but have been marketed on Romanian territory, competing with domestic production through sale prices,” stated the Ministry of Agriculture.
