Unlocking ports for metal export will give Ukraine about billion dollars every month, - Kalenkov
The mining and metallurgical complex of Ukraine is currently experiencing a deep crisis, for the solution of which the unblocking of sea ports for the export of products is extremely necessary. At the same time, it will give Ukraine about a billion dollars of monthly foreign exchange earnings.
As Censor.NET informs, the president of "Ukrmetalurgprom" wrote about this in his column for Interfax Ukraine.
"MMC is an export-oriented industry. In pre-war times, we sent 80% of our products to foreign markets, about 70% of exports went through seaports. Therefore, the ability to export by sea is the main issue for our industry, and therefore for the economy of Ukraine.
Let me remind you that in the structure of Ukrainian exports, MMC products take up more than a third. And over the past year, the sale of our products on world markets brought Ukraine about $22 billion in foreign exchange revenue," Kalenkov noted.
He emphasized: Today the export of grain through the "transport corridor", which was created thanks to Ukraine's international partners, provides about 1 billion dollars of income every month.
"About the same amount, if not more, of currency can be generated by the export of MMC products. In other words, Ukraine can thus double the volume of foreign exchange earnings - the benefit for the state is obvious. In addition, the restoration of metal exports by sea will allow the recovery of MMC production, and the retention of highly qualified and experienced workers collectives and increase tax revenues to the state budget," Kalenkov emphasized.
He assured: market participants highly appreciate the titanic work of Ukrainian diplomats and international partners in unblocking sea exports, and are well aware that successful negotiations with a "maddened" neighbor are a very difficult task.
"However, this goal is quite real. For this, we only need an understanding of the importance of this expansion on the part of the international community. Therefore, we once again ask our diplomats to constantly emphasize the need to expand the range of goods transported through the open corridor," Kalenkov summarized.
It will be recalled that earlier the directors of three seaports - "Yuzhnyi", "TIS-Vuhillia" and "Tis-Ruda" - called on President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to extend the effect of the "grain corridor" to metal products: they said that this would strengthen the hryvnia and the economy because one ship with iron ore provides $14 million in export earnings, and Ukraine can send 200 such ships a year.
