Ukraine's total export value fell 18.7% in 2023, to lowest in a decade - economy minister

(Reuters) - Ukraine's export value fell 18.7% in 2023 compared with 2022, totalling $35.8 billion, the lowest figure recorded in a decade, the country's Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Thursday.

Maritime export saw an increase of 30.7% in December compared with November, she said on the LinkedIn platform.

"In total, for the year 2023, we have almost 1 million tons more maritime exports," Svyrydenko added.

Road exports were affected by a blockade of border crossings by protesting Polish truckers, resulting in an 18.3% decline in December compared with November, when the protests started. However, year-on-year the reduction was only 0.7%, Svyrydenko added.

In total, Ukraine exported 99.8 million tons of goods in 2023, 112,000 tons more than in 2022, she added.

(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Alex Richardson)