Grain exports in 2023-2024 marketing year increased due to the launch of the work of ports in the Odessa region, but the growth is not associated with the fight against gray exports. This opinion in an exclusive commentary UNN expressed the deputy head of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council Dmitry Kohan.
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, Ukraine exported more than 49.7 million tons of grains and legumes in the 2023-2024 marketing year, up 3% from the previous period, with wheat exports up 10%, while corn exports declined by 275,000 tons.
As for the growth of export indicators, we should take into account that in October last year we launched Odessa ports, large ports, and thank God they are working quite successfully. In recent months, we have reached the export figures even before the war. Not more, but pre-war. And consider that last year was not like this - in summer and fall we had a failure, because there was no Black Sea. This I think had a significant impact
Also, he said, the growth in export figures was also influenced by a bigger harvest, but this impact was not significant.
"It was the factor of launching Odessa ports that had a significant impact. We export 7 million tons in May-April, these are pre-war figures and this is something we never dreamed of when the Black Sea ports were closed," Kohan said.
At the same time, the expert did not link the growth of grain exports to the increase in the fight against the export of gray grain.
Recall
Some experts interviewed by UNN, attribute the increase in grain exports to, among other things, the strengthening of the fight against gray exports. In particular, earlier it became known that the Bureau of Economic Security is investigating several criminal proceedings related to gray export of grain. According to law enforcers, the most common scheme of such tax evasion for tens of millions of hryvnias is the purchase of grain that does not have documents of origin for cash and its further export abroad using the details of "risky" or front companies.
One striking example of gray exports is the criminal cases that concern gray exports from the Olympex grain terminal in 2021-2023, when it was actively managed by Odessa businessmen Sergei Groza and Vladimir Naumenko.
In particular, in January 2021, law enforcers were interested in a number of companies involved in grain export and related to the agroholding GNT Group of Sergey Groza and Vladimir Naumenko. LLC "Ferko", LLC "Metalsukrane Corp LTD", LLC "Grain Reloading Complex "Inzernoexport" and enterprise "Vtormetexport", belonging to GNT Group, actively used the requisites" risky" companies for export operations. In the course of the investigation, the territorial department of the BEB in the Odessa region identified at least three such "risky" enterprises: AUTSTAFF 19 LLC, ALISENTA TRADE LLC, and SOLTEK PRODUCT LLC. In addition, the investigation found that the exported grain was stored, among other things, in the warehouses of Olympex Coupe International LLC - which is also controlled by Groza and Naumenko.
Based on the results of the investigation, law enforcers found that none of the mentioned "risky" enterprises had no proof of purchase of grains that were planned to be exported - more than 2 thousand tons of corn, barley, wheat (this is only what was found by law enforcers during the searches). In addition, all these enterprises violated the requirements of financial and tax reporting, demonstrated zero profitability, and understated profit tax.
According to law enforcers' calculations, Groza and Naumenko's companies caused almost UAH 37.5m damage to the state within the framework of this criminal case alone. At the same time, the exporter of "gray" grain was Agiros LLC, which belongs to a well-known smuggler Vadim Alperin, against whom the SNBO imposed sanctions in 2021 and who was deprived of Ukrainian citizenship. And shipping these grains, according to media reports, was another company controlled by Groza and Naumenko, "Attollo Granum."
This criminal proceeding is currently still under investigation.
Another criminal proceeding involving Groza and Naumenko's company, Olympex Coupe International LLC, is being investigated by the territorial department of the Kyiv City BEB. It was opened a year later, in 2022, but also concerns "gray" grain exports.
The case is being investigated under articles on tax evasion, forgery of documents for state registers, legalization (laundering) of proceeds of crime and illegal handling of weapons or ammunition.
The scheme used by Groza and Naumenko's company is identical to the one used earlier, only the names of the fictitious companies differ, and not all of them. In particular, it includes AUTSTAFF 19 LLC mentioned in another criminal proceeding.
In addition to this company, they also used the "risky" companies EXPRESS ALL and AGROTRANS-GROUP. With their help, according to the investigation, at least 40,000 tons of grain and oilseeds disappeared from the terminal in 2023.
In addition, BEB detectives believe that criminal activity related to tax evasion through gray exports of grain at the Olympex terminal continues.