Canada, like the EU, is preparing to abolish import duties on Ukrainian goods over the next 12 months. Britain has already done that. Such steps are being taken to help the Ukrainian economy by blocking Russian seaports and significantly complicating exports, which in turn leads not only to significant losses for the Ukrainian economy but also to a shortage of cereals and vegetable oils on the world market.

Analyzing foreign trade before the war, Ukraine had insignificant exports of agricultural products to Canada, due not only to the considerable territorial remoteness of the country, but also its own fairly high development of agriculture. Thus, during 2021, Ukrainian agricultural products worth $ 29.3 million were exported to Canada. At the same time, 49% of export revenue was apple juice, 18% - sunflower oil and 11% - soybeans.

However, with the beginning of Russia's military invasion with the assistance of Belarus, additional factors may affect the peculiarities of trade between Ukraine and Canada. In particular, Canada is the world's largest producer and exporter of potash fertilizers. This country produces about 12 million tons of this type of fertilizer, thus occupying 24% of world production.

At the same time, Ukraine imports potash fertilizers, as its own production is practically undeveloped. In 2021, 287.5 thousand tons of potash fertilizers were imported to Ukraine, and 69% of them were in Belarus. For obvious reasons, procurement from this country will no longer be carried out. Therefore, Ukrainian farmers need to look for alternative suppliers and Canada can become one of them. And the abolition of import duties may be an additional factor, as it will increase the competitiveness of Ukrainian agricultural products in the Canadian market. Thus, Ukraine will be able to buy potash fertilizers in Canada, in turn sending on the same transport its agricultural products, which are now in abundance on the Ukrainian market.

Canada typically imports large quantities of corn (2.8 million tons in 2021), cake from vegetable oil production (1.2 million tons) and soybeans (0.5 million tons). And it is precisely these positions that we can offer to the Canadian market. However, for the time being it will be done in a longer way, most likely through the seaports of the Baltic States. But this is temporary.

Джерело: Ukrainian club of agrarian business