Thousands of railcars attempting to transport exported goods are stuck in Poland as Russian forces bar entry into Western Ukraine.
More than 24,190 train wagons are waiting to cross into Ukraine to export various goods, including vegetable oil, iron, ore, chemicals, and coal as of Tuesday, according to Reuters.
About half of them, or roughly 10,320 wagons, are sitting at a border crossing outside the Ukrainian village of Izov, which serves as a gateway to Polish port city Gdansk, said Valerii Tkachov, deputy director of the commercial department for the Ukrainian state-run railway Ukrzaliznytsia.
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Ukraine is facing a growing backlog of exports, though Tkachov indicated it could be a while before the company can catch up due to Ukrainian railways’ reliance on a Russian gauge that requires tracks be moved manually.
Only 500 wagons are passing through a border near the Ukrainian village of Izov each day, creating a three-week backlog, Tkachov told the outlet.
The country’s agriculture sector is in shambles, with many roads, railways, and rail stations used for exports having been destroyed, a U.S. official said. March exports fell dramatically compared to the previous month’s numbers, figures from the Ukrainian government show.
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Logistical challenges blocking Ukrainian exports and Western sanctions on Russian exports have sent ripples down the supply chain. The two countries combined are the world’s second-largest steel exporters, falling short of China, which exports more than 40 million metric tons annually.
Ukraine is among the world’s largest exporters of grain, sending countries scrambling to prepare for an expected global food shortage.
