In 2023, sixteen grain trailers were distributed to eight agricultural companies, with an additional two trailers delivered in 2024. These advanced, lightweight trailers are designed to enhance the efficiency of grain collection and unloading, with an estimated increase in transshipment capacity of about 31,400 tons annually.
The introduction of these trailers is a significant development for some agricultural companies that previously had to incur extra costs due to renting such vehicles. For instance, Astarta-Kyiv, a branch of a major company, received two grain trucks, expected to augment the firm's handling capacity by 12,000 tons per year. These trucks will primarily transport various grains and oil crops from their elevators to sea and river ports.
Another beneficiary, FENIX AGRO, associated with the First Ukrainian Agricultural Cooperative, received four trailers. These will be employed to ferry grain from local farms in central and western Ukraine to a transshipment hub in the Cherkasy region, facilitating further export via Ukrainian ports and railways.
The provision of these trailers under the Agriculture Sustainability Initiative in Ukraine (AGRI-Ukraine), implemented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), aims to mitigate the global food crisis exacerbated by Russia's aggression against Ukraine. This initiative is also expected to boost exports and reduce dependency on external vehicle providers, making a significant impact on the efficiency and self-reliance of the Ukrainian agricultural sector.
