Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – and its devastating attacks on civilian and industrial areas – is having a major impact on the global economy.
The Ukrainian cabinet approved a resolution on Wednesday banning exports of grains and other essential food stuffs until the end of 2022.
Among the banned exports are rye, barley, buckwheat, millet, sugar, salt, and meat.
Israel imports all of those and more from Ukraine.
Just a few days after the start of the war, Israel’s Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman warned the conflict would have economic consequences for “the State of Israel and for the whole world,” although he added that Israel’s economy was in “good shape” and there was “no need to worry.”
But in fact, Israel is a major importer of Ukrainian wheat and other grains – as well as other items.
In 2020, Israel imported $153.41 million worth of goods, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.
The full list of Israeli imports from Ukraine – some of which might surprise you — can be found by clicking here.
Bilateral trade between Israel and Ukraine reached $619 million between January and September last year.
Nor is Israel the only Middle Eastern country importing food stuffs from Ukraine.
Lebanon and Egypt also depend heavily on Ukrainian wheat exports, which were projected by the US Department of Agriculture to reach 24.2 million metric tons between July 2021 and June 2022.
