Trade in Agro-Food Products Between Ukraine and African Countries

For Ukraine, foreign sales of agricultural raw materials and food industry products are traditionally the main source of income, providing the lion’s share of total export revenues. In recent years, the product structure of our external supplies has been very clearly formed, which is not too diversified, but finds its consumer in all corners of the planet. One of the important regions where there is a stable demand for Ukrainian food is Africa. Despite the lower turnover of trade with them compared to the markets of the European Union and Asia, Africa in many ways does not have a full-fledged alternative. This is based both on the specifics of the demand of local sales markets, and on various exotic products that it offers to the Ukrainian consumer due to the impossibility of their production in our natural and climatic conditions. At the same time, due to the greater geographical distance of African countries, trade with them is more sharply affected due to the application of restrictions, both during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the event of force majeure, in particular, the war in Ukraine. There is a significant dependence of the results of export and import of agri-food products on the intensity of trade operations with Egypt, some countries of North Africa and others. Until now, we do not have signed and functioning bilateral agreements on free trade zones. In general, the region is characterized by high instability in the socio-economic plan, the presence of constant risks for the organization and conduct of business activities. There is a noticeable difference between different subregions of the continent in the levels of economic development and income of the population. In contrast to such factors, Africa is recognized by many experts as the most promising and fast-growing part of the world, offering interested parties a number of interesting opportunities. Therefore, the need for a more detailed study of the region, especially regarding the potential of agricultural trade with Ukraine, is becoming increasingly urgent.