March 22, 2013

On March 13, 2013 the Ukrainian ports exported 30,000 tonnes of corn to Iran.

Several market operators suggested that the cargo was supplied from the ports of Nikolayev. At the same time, the previous corn supplies from Ukraine to Iran were carried out in November 2012 (124,000 tonnes).

It should be noted that in the near future the list of food products supplied by Ukraine to Iran may include not only grain crops, but also wheat flour and sunflower oil. To date, there is some information about the on-going negotiations between the Governments of Ukraine and Iran on cooperation in the sphere of food products supply, which is supposed to be carried out by private Ukrainian companies.

As a reminder, to date Iran is experiencing serious difficulties with the imports of commodities to the country. The number of sanctions imposed by the US and Europe to deprive Iran of funds for development of its nuclear programme became the reason of such difficulties. Consequently, the country cannot pay for some range of food products, despite the fact that they are not subject to the sanctions. At the same time, Ukrainian companies are willing to consider the prospects for cooperation with Iran, despite the above mentioned limitations.