According to the data of the Main Statistical Office of Poland, in November of last year Ukraine was the 7th country in terms of the volume of Polish exports and the 15th in the list of the largest importers. The shift is huge, as a year earlier she was ranked 15th and 20th, respectively.
In general, Ukraine rose to the ninth place among Poland’s largest foreign trade partners. In terms of sales volume to Poland, it overtook Japan, Denmark, Norway and Saudi Arabia in the previous year. This is despite the fact that Norway is Poland’s largest supplier of gas, and Saudi Arabia is the largest supplier of oil.
What does the Ukrainian economy produce that is in demand on the Polish market? These are mainly food products. The sales leaders are rapeseed and rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, corn and wheat. Growth in some of these positions is measured by thousands of percent!
“The reduction of Ukraine’s GDP by 35% in 2022 (estimated by the International Monetary Fund) as a result of the war does not mean that Ukrainian business has stopped working. Local entrepreneurs are intensively looking for opportunities to sell goods abroad, at the same time they see the greatest opportunity in Poland and further re-export,” Ebury analysts commented.
And what does Ukraine buy in Poland? What is most needed to survive in difficult times. First of all, these are weapons, ammunition and cartridges. Only in November, Poland sold weapons for a customs value of 1.2 billion zlotys, and in 11 months – 3.5 billion zlotys. If we compare the data for November with the previous year, then the volume growth was more than 50% percent.
Poland also sells fuel to Ukraine. According to the data of the Main Statistical Office, the value of fuel exports reached 8.4 billion zlotys and increased by 84% compared to the previous year.
In addition, the Poles are joking, it is not known whether Russian tankers should not be afraid of their tractors. Agricultural machines were supplied to Ukrainians by 133% more.
Of course, notes businessinsider, it is difficult to call this the result of the natural development of economic contacts. Poland provides Ukrainians with what is necessary to fight the aggression of the Russian Federation. On the other hand, the increase in imports is a consequence of blocking Ukrainian ports. Wheat goes to Poland by rail and is not necessarily exported further through the ports of Gdańsk. Some remains in the country, thus affecting domestic prices.
By the way, as Ebury analysts emphasize, trade between our countries is carried out almost exclusively in dollars and euros.
