KIEV, UKRAINE — NIBULON said on Jan. 22 that it has exported a record 2.28 million tonnes of grain and oil crops in the first six months of the 2014-15 market year.

The company exported record amounts in the first months of the year. In July, it exported 620,000 tonnes, a significant increase from the previous record of 450,000 in July 2009.

The dominant exports in the first half of the year were wheat at 39% and corn at 29%.

Two main factors have influenced corn sales on the domestic market, NIBULON said. Favorable weather conditions meant high quality corn that can be stored without additional expenses. On the other hand, agricultural producers have reduced investment in the construction of new facilities and the purchase of new equipment.

This decreased the need for money from selling grain, the company said, and reduced corn supply in the first half of the marketing year. As a result, the total corn supply will be evenly distributed among other months of the second half of the market year, NIBULON said. 

According to the specialists of NIBULON and other companies, Ukraine must export about 12.5 million tonnes of corn by the end of the market year. NIBULON said it plans to export 1.5 million tonnes more of corn.

The dynamics of corn and barley shipments in the first half of 2014-15 has significantly exceeded figures for the same period in 2013-14. NIBULON said it has already hit the corn and barley export target in the first half of the year and have enough residues for export in the second half-year.

Top destinations for NIBULON’s exports include: Egypt (23%); Saudi Arabia (15%); and Spain (8%). The company also exported 118,000 tonnes to China and 51,000 tonnes to Thailand.

According to APK-Inform, NIBULON is ranked first in the export of grain crops and third in the export of oil crops in the first six months of the market year.

In 2014, NIBULON continued its import activity, purchasing equipment to modernize the transshipment terminal in Mykolayiv city, elevators and terminals and also to operate its own fleet. The company signed 55 import contracts with foreign producers – leaders in their sector on the world market. Thus, in order to ensure operation of the shipping company’s fleet, NIBULON said it continued to cooperate with the leading equipment producers, such as Liebherr-Werk Nenzing GmbH (Austria) and Aquamec Ltd (Finland).

This market year, the company said its priority was to purchase import equipment to complete construction of NIBULON-5 and NIBULON-6 tugs that were put into operation in the second half of 2014. In order to ensure construction of the series of 121 project pusher-tugs, NIBULON has already signed contracts for accessory and materials purchase.