Ukrvantazh Agro reports that active export of the new harvest has caused multi-day queues of grain lorries at the border: on some routes lorries are waiting up to eight days, with the longest queues on the Polish border.
Number of vehicles at specific checkpoints
At the checkpoint «Yahodyn–Dorohusk» there are 1363 loaded and 2098 empty lorries in the queue. At «Krakivets–Korchova» 1562 lorries are waiting, at «Rava‑Ruska–Khrebenne» — 1472, and at «Porubne — Siret» — 1033.
Queues are causing lengthy idle times: carriers cannot quickly return vehicles to new trips, which exacerbates the shortage of transport, especially on long routes.
Main export routes and rising rates
Last week the largest volumes of grain moved by road went to Odesa region. Major flows originated from Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy, Kharkiv and Kyiv regions.
In the west active routes ran from Rivne to Khmelnytskyi, from Khmelnytskyi to Lviv and from Chernihiv to Lviv. Rates for road grain transport have risen on all routes, with the biggest increases on long hauls — up to 15%.
Reasons for the price increase and logistical risks
Carriers attribute the higher tariffs to more expensive diesel fuel, a shortage of drivers and grain lorries, and the large queues at the border. Prolonged waits increase costs from idling and returning equipment to service.
Hauliers also point to Russian attacks and security risks: because of these they must change routes and cover greater distances, which further raises costs.
