Lithuania receives first Ukrainian grain by rail for onward shipment

VILNIUS: Lithuania has received its first rail delivery of grain from Ukraine for onward shipment from Klaipeda port, state-owned railway company LTG said.

With Ukraine’s ports blocked by Russia’s invasion, the major grain grower has been unable to export nearly 25 million tonnes of grains, causing global food prices to soar.

The country has been forced to send shipments across its western border, relying on limited railway capacity and small Danube river ports. “We expect to scale up to receiving a train per day from Ukraine, each with up to 1,500 tonnes of grain and other agricultural produce, for export via Klaipeda port,” said LTG spokesman Mantas Dubauskas. He did not give a timeline for the plan. The trains reach Lithuania via Poland. Ukraine’s grain exports in the first 10 days of May more than halved to about 300,000 tonnes from 667,000 tonnes in the corresponding period last year.