Ukraine has exported almost 15.6 million tonnes of grain so far in the 2022/23 season, down 30.8% from the 22.5 million tonnes exported by the same stage of the previous season, agriculture ministry data showed on Wednesday.

The volume included almost 6 million tonnes of wheat, 8.3 million tonnes of corn and 1.3 million tonnes of barley.

After an almost six-month blockade caused by the Russian invasion, three Ukrainian Black Sea ports were unblocked at the end of July under a deal between Moscow and Kyiv brokered by the United Nations and Turkey.

Ministry data showed that 2.36 million tonnes of various grains were exported in the first half of November, 22.4% less than in the same period in November 2021.

The government has said Ukraine could harvest between 50 million and 52 million tonnes of grain this year, down from a record 86 million tonnes in 2021 because of the loss of land to Russian forces and lower yields. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Editing by Louise Heavens)