Ukraine's foreign trade deficit for 9 months amounted to $19.5 billion, but there are hopes for an increase in exports

According to the State Customs Service, during January-September, Ukraine imported goods worth $46.6 billion, and exported $27.1 billion. Taxed imports amounted to $38.3 billion or 82% of total goods imports, and the tax burden on 1 kg of taxed imports is $0.48/kg, which is 47% higher than the corresponding figure last year.

The most goods were imported from China - $7.4 billion, Poland - $4.9 billion, and Turkey - $3.7 billion, and exported - to Poland - $3.7 billion, Romania - $3 billion $ and Turkey - by $1.9 billion.

Almost 65% of the total import of goods in the January-September period fell on the following categories:

• machines, equipment and transport - $14.1 billion, during customs clearance the budget received UAH 100.6 billion or 31% of all customs payments;
• products of the chemical industry - $8.4 billion, during which the budget received UAH 57.2 billion. or 17% of customs payments;
• fuel and energy products - $7.9 billion, during the registration of which UAH 68 billion was paid to the budget. or 21% of customs payments.

The main items of export in the specified period were food products ($16.1 billion), metals and their products - $3 billion, machines, equipment and transport - $2.3 billion. During customs clearance of goods subject to an export duty, UAH 472.9 billion was paid to the budget.

Last week, in order to stabilize the hryvnia exchange rate, the National Bank purchased $0.25 million and sold $575.24 million on the interbank foreign exchange market. Net sales of the currency compared to the previous week decreased by $576.7 million from $1,151.69 million (which was the largest weekly sale since the beginning of the year) to $574.99 million. This indicates the stabilization of the exchange rate under the conditions of the introduction of a flexible market exchange rate, which is a requirement of the IMF for the continuation of the lending program.

In total, in 2023, the National Bank purchased $208.28 million interbank and sold $21,201.48 million, so the net sale of currency amounted to $20,993.2 million.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Finance has received $64.9 billion in external financing from the EU, the USA, the IMF, Canada, Japan, the World Bank, Great Britain, Germany and other donors.

The Minister of Finance of Ukraine, Marchenko, at a meeting with the finance ministers of the G7 countries, emphasized the need to attract external financing in 2024 in order to ensure expenditures in the social sphere and humanitarian aid, since the deficit will amount to $42.9 billion.

The restoration of exports through the Black Sea ports, especially of ore and metal, will improve the budget indicators, reduce the deficit and pressure on the hryvnia exchange rate.

Since September 16, 28 vessels with a total deadweight of 1.3 million tons have entered the ports of Greater Odessa through the new corridor, in particular, on October 14 - 3 large bulkers (with a deadweight of 180, 91, and 74,000 tons), on which it is planned to load ore.