Iran General NewsUkraine says private firms mull more food sales to...

Ukraine says private firms mull more food sales to Iran

-

Reuters: Ukrainian private companies are considering an increase in their food exports to Iran despite payment problems caused by international sanctions against Tehran, Ukraine’s agriculture minister said.

By Pavel Polityuk

KIEV (Reuters) – Ukrainian private companies are considering an increase in their food exports to Iran despite payment problems caused by international sanctions against Tehran, Ukraine’s agriculture minister said.

“Iran’s Deputy Economy Minister visited Kiev some time ago and we are considering increasing the shipments (of food). It is not the government, but private companies,” Mykola Prysyazhnyuk told Reuters on Wednesday.

 The minister said that such shipments by private companies were already under way, adding that there were no barter deals with Iran but “direct payments”.

He declined to give details of how Iranian consumers pay for Ukrainian produce.

Private companies control more than 80 percent of overall Ukrainian grain exports, although their share is due to decrease in the coming season as state-controlled companies plan to boost grain exports.

Last year Ukraine exported grain to Syria via a state company.

The European Union and the United States have imposed toughened sanctions meant to discourage Tehran’s nuclear programme, which they say is has a military purpose.

The Western sanctions do not target food shipments, but financial measures have frozen Iranian firms out of much of the global banking system, complicating payments for imports on which Iran relies for much of its food, consumer and industrial goods.

Many foreign companies, including shipping firms, have pulled out of trade with Iran for fear of losing business in the United States and due to the complexities of arranging non-sanctioned deals.

Prysyazhnyuk did not say exactly when the Iranian official had visited and did not name him.

The minister said future Ukrainian exports to Iran might include nine types of food commodities, including grain, flour and sunflower oil.

Ukraine, a leading exporters of sunflower oil, maize, wheat and barley, exported 155,500 tonnes of barley, 2,835 tonnes of millet, 92,580 tonnes of sunoil and 155,200 tonnes of maize to Iran so far the 2012/13 July-June season, according to data from analyst UkrAgroConsult.

“We see Iran as the market for many types of food, not only for grain,” Prysyazhnyuk said.

Ukraine exported 1.7 million tonnes of maize, 117,800 tonnes of barley and 148,000 tonnes of sunoil to Iran in 2011/12. (Reporting By Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Veronica Brown and Anthony Barker)

Latest news

Iranian Proxies Still Planning Attacks on US Forces

On Thursday, May 2, Avril Haines, the director of the U.S. National Intelligence Agency, told a Senate Armed Services...

Growing Calls for the Terrorist Designation of the IRGC

On Monday, April 29, the Iranian regime’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanani, in a weekly press briefing, claimed that...

Iranian Merchants Facing 60% Decline in Sales Due to Presence of Morality Police

Discontent among merchants due to a 60% decrease in sales attributed to the presence of the morality police, exerting...

Dire Living Conditions of Iranian workers on International Labor Day

On the occasion of International Workers' Day, May 1, the dire economic conditions of Iranian workers have reached a...

Only One-Fifth of Iran’s Annual Housing Needs Are Met

Beytollah Setarian, a housing expert, said in an interview that Iran needs one million housing units annually, but only...

Resignation, Job Change, and Nurse Exodus in Iran

The state-run Hame-Mihan newspaper has addressed the problems of the healthcare workforce in Iran, examining issues such as resignations,...

Must read

China reveals Iran’s nuclear secrets to UN

Daily Telegraph: China has betrayed one its closest allies...

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you

Exit mobile version