ice Agricultural Marketing Service

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

Ukraine Grain 

Transportation

Published March 17, 2020

USDA is publishing the Ukraine Grain Transportation to provide an indicator report to evaluate the Black Sea 

Region’s Grain Transportation. Initial interest came from a September 2018 meeting of the BNSF Agriculture 

Rail Business Council (ARB)1, in which grain producers requested that USDA assess U.S. grain transportation 

cost competitiveness, especially for wheat and corn. Interest levels during a session on this topic at USDA’s 

2020 Agricultural Outlook Forum confirmed that this report will likely be useful to U.S. grain producers.

Why are U.S. grain producers interested in this region? The Black Sea region–Kazakhstan, Russia, and 

Ukraine–is a strong player in the global wheat market. Black Sea wheat successfully competes on the basis of 

lower prices, favorable exchange rates, and the region’s advantageous location (FAS, Grain: World Market and 

Trade January 2018). Ports on the Black Sea have easy access to the rapidly growing markets in the Middle 

East and North Africa where wheat and feed demand has grown. The U.S. share of the global wheat market 

has been declining as the European Union (EU) and Russia have risen in prominence. Globally, wheat is mainly 

used for human consumption. But Ukraine exports wheat both for milling and feed. Russia is the top wheat 

exporter, followed by the EU, United States, Canada, Ukraine, Australia, and Argentina.

In the corn market, the United States is still the leading exporter, but faces strong competition from Brazil, 

Argentina, and Ukraine. U.S. corn prices are still competitive, but Black Sea prices are declining and production 

is increasing (FAS, Grain Market and Trade February 2019). The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts that 

Ukraine is expected to grow as a major corn exporter, reaching shipments of 31.2 million metric tons (mmt) 

in 2029. Corn is mainly used 

for feed in the Middle East 

and North Africa. Because of 

challenges obtaining specific 

data from the full Black Sea 

region, Ukraine is being used 

as a proxy for the entire 

region.

Rail

Most Ukrainian grain is 

transported by rail (68 

percent), followed by truck (23 

percent) and river (9 percent) 

(fig. 1). The rail freight market 

is under Government control. 

1 The ARB is a group that BNSF started 13 years ago as a forum for dialogue between producers, co-ops, and other agricultural groups to 

discuss issues of importance in the BNSF service territory. The ARB group consists of about 25 individuals and meets twice a year.

Railways Highways Waterways

U.S. 39% 13% 48%

Ukraine 68% 23% 9%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

U.S. Ukraine

Source: USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service, 2016, Ukrzaliznytsia and Ukrainian Sea Ports Authorities, 

2019.

Figure 1. U.S. and Ukrainian grain and oilseeds exports by mode, 2019
2

Ukraine Grain Transportation

Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ), the state-owned rail company, owns the rail infrastructure and provides services. Tariff 

rates are not published. UZ uses the former Soviet Union’s railway-tariff-setting model. Since 2009, the Ministry 

of Infrastructure updated the rail model without significant changes to the base tariff. Using privately-owned 

railcars can surpass the cost of using state owned railcars by up to $4.00/metric ton (mt) per 350 miles. When 

shippers call UZ to get a quote, they have the options of using private railcars and/or railcars in the UZ grain 

hopper fleet. More than 95 percent of Ukrainian grain exports are via the Black Sea ports (CFTS Consulting 

2014).2 

Trucking

Roads in Ukraine vary in quality from freeways to dirt. All roads are public and toll free. The average truck weighs 

40 mt with a maximum cargo of 23-25 mt.3 Currently, the main challenge is mitigating damage from trucks 

with overweight cargo (which is, most commonly, grain). The degradation to roads caused by overweight cargo 

requires substantial funding to repair. In Ukraine, trucks typically deliver grain to port over short distances—up 

to 124 miles (200 km) in the areas that deliver to the nearest sea ports such as Odesa and Mykolaiv. Freight 

prices are determined by supply and demand for the transport service.

Barge

As in many other parts of the world, barge is considered to be the most economical means of moving bulk 

commodities in Ukraine. However, Ukrainian navigable waterways currently cover only a part of the country, 

which limits the potential of river transportation. At present, three rivers are used for cargo transportation: the 

Dnipro, Southern Bug, and Danube. The Dnipro river (627 miles/1,009 km) is the main route competing with 

other transport modes for cargo flow. The Ukrainian part of the Danube (106 miles /171 km) is short, located 

along the border with Romania, and used for international shipments only. The navigable part of the Southern 

Bug is also very short (124 miles/200 km) and has no adequate transshipment facilities. Currently, only one 

company uses the Southern Bug for grain delivery from its terminal to the port of Mykolaiv.

Figure 2 shows the 

growth rate of barge 

transportation, which has 

increased significantly 

from 3.5 mmt to 11.8 

mmt. Within the next 

decade, river cargo 

volume is expected to 

surpass the infrastructure 

capacity. Built in the 

middle of the 20th 

century, it requires 

substantial funding for 

repair and maintenance.

2 The Ukrainian Black Sea Region includes the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, Yuzhnyi, Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Izmail, Reni, Ust-Dunaisk, Skadovsk, 

Olviia, Mykolaiv, and Kherson. It does not include the ports in occupied Crimea (Yevpatoriia, Kerch, Sevastopol, Feodosiia, and Yalta).

3 The truck weighs 15-17 mt plus a cargo of 23-25 mt = approximately 40 mt.

Figure 2. Ukrainian river cargo volume, 2013-19

Source: Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority.

Source: Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA)

3.5

4.4 4.7

5.4

8.1

9.9

11.8

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Million metric tons
3

Ukraine Grain Transportation

This Ukraine Grain Transportation Report is an indicator designed to better understand the freight market in 

Ukraine. The indicator shows the cost of shipping wheat, corn, and soybeans from major production regions 

in Ukraine to the ports and then to major export markets. The indicator comprises 3 regions in 24 provinces 

and represents roughly 100 percent of the total 2018 Ukrainian wheat, corn, and soybean production (see fig. 

3 inside the report). These are the latest official statistical data available and follow the classification used by 

the State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Analysis of origins and destinations resulted in six routes (figs. 3-6 and 

tables 1-3 in the report). For this report, the ports of Odesa and Mykolaiv were selected as the major exportoriginating points for shipments to Egypt, Indonesia, and China (table 5).4

 The ocean freight prices from the 

“Centre for Transport Strategies (CFTS)” correspond to actual values negotiated between shippers and carriers. 

These were averaged according to the weights of the shipped volumes. Rail rates were estimated using 

specialized software “TM-Karta” in accordance with UZ tariff regulation. Truck rates were estimated based 

on the market data for various ranges (100 miles and 30 miles) obtained from service providers. For more 

information, contact Delmy L. Salin at delmy.salin@usda.gov, Andrii Shkliar at andrii.shkliar@cfts.org.ua, and 

Andrey Isayev at andrey.isayev@cfts.org.ua.

4 The ocean freight rates and transshipment costs for Odesa and Mykolaiv are typical of the rates and costs for the majority of the ports.
4

Ukraine Grain Transportation

Figure 3. Routes1 and wheat, corn, and soybean regions considered in the Ukrainian grain 

export transportation indicator2

1

Table defining routes by number is shown on page 10.

2

Regions comprised roughly 100 percent of wheat, corn, and soybean production, 2018.

Source: Centre for Transport Strategies (CFTS) Kyiv, Ukraine and USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service.
5

Ukraine Grain Transportation

Figure 4. Routes1 and wheat regions considered in the Ukrainian grain 

export transportation indicator2

1

Table defining routes by number is shown on page 10.

2

Regions comprised roughly 100 percent of wheat production, 2018.

Source: Centre for Transport Strategies (CFTS) Kyiv, Ukraine and USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service.
6

Ukraine Grain Transportation

Figure 5. Routes1 and corn regions considered in the Ukrainian grain 

export transportation indicator2

1

Table defining routes by number is shown on page 10.

2

Regions comprised roughly 100 percent of corn production, 2018.

Source: Centre for Transport Strategies (CFTS) Kyiv, Ukraine and USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service.
7

Ukraine Grain Transportation

Figure 6. Routes1 and soybean regions considered in the Ukrainian grain 

export transportation indicator2

1

Table defining routes by number is shown on page 10.

2

Regions comprised roughly 100 percent of soybean production, 2018.

Source: Centre for Transport Strategies (CFTS) Kyiv, Ukraine and USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service.
8

Ukraine Grain Transportation

Table 1. Quarterly costs of transporting Ukrainian wheat from the Black Sea ports 

to Egypt and Indonesia

2019

3rd qt

2019

4th qtr

Average 

2019

2019

3rd qtr

2019

4th qtr

Average 

2019

To Alexandria, Egypt

Central Ukraine1 - Odesa2

—US$/mt— 

Central Ukraine1 - Mykolaiv2

—US$/mt—

Truck 6.65 9.57 8.11 6.65 9.57 8.11

Rail3 14.17 14.85 14.51 10.64 11.14 10.89

Ocean 14.58 14.08 14.33 16.33 15.83 16.08

Total transportation 35.41 38.51 36.96 33.62 36.55 35.08

Farm price4 183.65 184.87 184.26 183.65 184.87 184.26

Landed cost 219.06 223.37 221.22 217.27 221.42 219.34

Transport % of landed cost 16.2 17.2 16.7 15.5 16.5 16.0

To Ciwandan/Cigading, Indonesia

Central Ukraine1 - Odesa2

—US$/mt— 

Central Ukraine1 - Mykolaiv2

—US$/mt—

Truck 6.65 32.65 19.65 6.65 9.57 8.11

Rail3 14.17 14.85 14.51 10.64 11.14 10.89

Ocean 38.17 33.83 36.00 39.92 35.58 37.75

Total transportation 58.99 81.34 70.17 57.20 56.30 56.75

Farm price4 183.65 184.87 184.26 183.65 184.87 184.26

Landed cost 242.64 266.21 254.43 240.85 241.17 241.01

Transport % of landed cost 24.3 30.6 27.4 23.7 23.3 23.5

1

Central Ukraine producing region = Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kherson, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, and Sumy provinces.

2

Export ports.

3

Rail rates include the cost of delivery to the railway station and the cost of grain hopper rent but do not include movement and positioning of 

rail cars at the elevator and at the port, railway station fees, security service from loading to discharging port, and freight forwarding service, 

which could exceed the rail tariff rate. Rail rates are estimated by using specialized software “TM-Karta” in accordance with Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) 

tariff regulation.

4

Farm price = elevator price − handling costs − farm to elevator transportation. 

Note: qtr = quarter. mt = metric ton.

Source:Centre for Transport Strategies (CFTS) Kyiv, Ukraine and USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service.
9

Ukraine Grain Transportation

Table 2. Quarterly costs of transporting Ukrainian corn from the Black Sea ports 

to Egypt and China

2019

3rd qt

2019

4th qtr

Average 

2019

2019

3rd qtr

2019

4th qtr

Average 

2019

To Alexandria, Egypt

Central Ukraine1 - Odesa2

—US$/mt— 

Central Ukraine1 - Mykolaiv2

—US$/mt—

Truck 6.65 9.57 8.11 6.65 9.57 8.11

Rail3 14.17 14.85 14.51 10.64 11.14 10.89

Ocean 14.58 14.08 14.33 16.33 15.83 16.08

Total transportation 35.41 38.51 36.96 33.62 36.55 35.08

Farm price4 155.52 145.84 150.68 155.52 145.84 150.68

Landed cost 190.93 184.35 187.64 189.14 182.39 185.77

Transport % of landed cost 18.5 20.9 19.7 17.8 20.0 18.9

To Shanghai, China

Central Ukraine1 - Odesa2

—US$/mt— 

Central Ukraine1 - Mykolaiv2

—US$/mt—

Truck 6.65 9.57 8.11 6.65 9.57 8.11

Rail3 14.17 14.85 14.51 10.64 11.14 10.89

Ocean 35.33 33.50 34.42 38.08 36.25 37.17

Total transportation 56.16 57.93 57.04 55.37 56.97 56.17

Farm price4 155.52 145.84 150.68 155.52 145.84 150.68

Landed cost 211.68 203.77 207.72 210.89 202.81 206.85

Transport % of landed cost 26.5 28.4 27.5 26.3 28.1 27.2

1

Central Ukraine producing region = Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kherson, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, and Sumy provinces.

2

Export ports.

3

Rail rates include the cost of delivery to the railway station and the cost of grain hopper rent but do not include movement and positioning of rail 

cars at the elevator and at the port, railway station fees, security service from loading to discharging port, and freight forwarding service, which 

could exceed the rail tariff rate. Rail rates are estimated by using specialized software “TM-Karta” in accordance with Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) tariff 

regulation.

4

Farm price = elevator price − handling costs − farm to elevator transportation. 

Note: qtr = quarter. mt = metric ton.

Source: Centre for Transport Strategies (CFTS) Kyiv, Ukraine and USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service.
10

Ukraine Grain Transportation

Table 3. Quaterly rail rates for selected Ukrainian grain 

export transportation routes, 2019

Route 

#

Origin 

(reference city)1 Destination Distance (miles)

Share 

(%)2

Freight Price (US$/mt/100 miles)3

1st 

qtr

2nd 

qtr

3rd 

qtr

4th 

qtr Avg

1 Western Ukraine 

(Khmelnitskii, station Starokonstantinov1) Mykolaiv 501 

30

3.87 4.06 3.97

2 Western Ukraine 

(Khmelnitskii, station Starokonstantinov1) Odesa 343 4.13 4.33 4.23

3 Eastern Ukraine 

(Kharkiv, station Lihachevo) Mykolaiv 340 

16

4.17 4.37 4.27

4 Eastern Ukraine 

(Kharkiv, station Lihachevo) Odesa 521 3.75 3.93 3.84

5 Central Ukraine 

(Cherkasy, station Zolotonosha1) Mykolaiv 240 

54

4.43 4.65 4.54

6 Central Ukraine 

(Cherkasy, station Zolotonosha1) Odesa 341 4.15 4.35 4.25

1

Although each origin region comprises several cities, the major station at the center of each region is considered as a reference to establish the 

freight price. Western Ukraine producing region = Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnitskii, Lviv, Rivne, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Volyn, Zakarpattia, 

and Zhytomyr provinces. Eastern Ukraine producing region = Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Zaporizhia provinces. Central 

Ukraine producing region = Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kherson, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, and Sumy provinces. 

2

Share is measured as a percentage of total production and illustrates the production in the region.

3

Rail rates include the cost of delivery to the railway station and the cost of grain hopper rent but do not include movement and positioning of 

rail cars at the elevator and at the port, railway station fees, security service from loading to discharging port, and freight forwarding service, 

which could exceed the rail tariff rate. Rail rates are estimated by using specialized software “TM-Karta” in accordance with Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) 

tariff regulation.

Average monthly exchange rate from the National Bank of Ukraine was used to convert Ukrainian Hryvnia to U.S. dollars.

Note: qtr = quarter. mt = metric ton. Avg = average.

Source: Centre for Transport Strategies (CFTS) Kyiv, Ukraine and USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service.
11

Ukraine Grain Transportation

Table 4. Monthly Ukrainian grain export truck transportation cost index

Month Freight price 

(US$/mt/100 miles)

Index variation (%) 

(Base: prior month)

Index value 

(Base: Jan. 05 = 100)

Jan-19 18.65 0.0 100.00

Feb-19 19.15 2.6 102.65

Mar-19 16.75 -12.5 89.81

Apr-19 14.92 -10.9 79.99

May-19 15.16 1.6 81.30

Jun-19 15.09 -0.5 80.93

Jul-19 15.53 2.9 83.28

Aug-19 15.84 2.0 84.94

Sep-19 16.15 1.9 86.58

Oct-19 16.12 -0.2 86.45

Nov-19 18.47 14.5 99.01

Dec-19 17.80 -3.6 95.42

Source: Centre for Transport Strategies (CFTS) Kyiv, Ukraine and USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service.

Table 5. Quarterly ocean freight rates for shipping grain 

from selected Ukrainian ports (US$/metric ton)

Cargo Port Destination 1st qtr 

2019

2nd qtr 

2019

3rd qtr 

2019

4th qtr 

2019

Wheat Mykolaiv Alexandria, Egypt1 16.33 15.83

Wheat Mykolaiv Ciwandan/Cigading, Indonesia2 39.92 35.58

Wheat Odesa Alexandria, Egypt1 14.58 14.08

Wheat Odesa Ciwandan/Cigading, Indonesia2 38.17 33.83

Corn Mykolaiv Alexandria, Egypt1 16.33 15.83

Corn Mykolaiv Southern ports, China2 38.08 36.25

Corn Odesa Alexandria, Egypt1 14.58 14.08

Corn Odesa Southern ports, China3 35.33 33.50

Soybeans Mykolaiv Southern ports, China3 37.08 35.25

Soybeans Odesa Southern ports, China3 35.33 33.50

1

Vessel size = 25,000-30,000 metric ton.

2

Vessel size = 50,000-55,000 metric ton.

3

Vessel size = 60,000-70,000 metric ton.

Note: China’s main southern ports include Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen, and Guangdong.

Source: Centre for Transport Strategies (CFTS) Kyiv, Ukraine and USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service.
12

Ukraine Grain Transportation

Delmy L. Salin

Senior Economist, Project Manager

delmy.salin@usda.gov

202.720.0833

Jessica Ladd

Graphic Analyst

jessica.ladd@usda.gov

202.720.6494

Data Sets (XLS files):

• Figure 1. U.S. and Ukrainian grain and oilseeds exports by mode, 2019

• Figure 2. Ukrainian river cargo volume, 2013-19

• Table 1. Quarterly costs of transporting Ukrainian wheat from the Black Sea ports to Egypt and 

Indonesia

• Table 2. Quarterly costs of transporting Ukrainian corn from the Black Sea ports to Egypt and 

China

• Table 3. Quaterly rail rates for selected Ukrainian grain export transportation routes, 2019

• Table 4. Monthly Ukrainian grain and oilseeds export truck transportation cost index

• Table 5. Quarterly ocean freight rates for shipping grain from selected Ukrainian ports (US$/

metric ton)

Preferred Citation:

Delmy Salin. March 2020. Ukraine Grain Transportation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing 

Service. Web <http://dx.doi.org/10.9752/TS260.02-2020>

Photo Credit: USDA

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. 

Acknowledgments:

The authors would like to thank Andrew Sowell, Yoonhee Macke, William George, Ryan Taylor Williams, Robin 

Gray, and Denys Sobolev (USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)); Michael Jewison (USDA, Office of the 

Chief Economist (OCE)), and James Hansen (USDA, Economic Research Service) for providing data, regional 

information, and ocean route maps. They also thank Keith Menzie, William Chambers (USDA, OCE); Patrick 

Packnett, Andrew Sowell, Yoonhee Macke, and Denys Sobolev (USDA, FAS); Surajudeen Olowolayemo, and 

Kranti Mulik (USDA, AMS); and William Wilson (North Dakota State University) for comments and critiques. 

Thanks also to USDA, AMS employees Maria Williams, editor, and Jessica Ladd, graphic designer.

Contact Information: