According to the message of Ukrzaliznytsia, the planned increase in freight rates will not have a significant negative impact on the agricultural sector of Ukraine. This was announced by the deputy director of the company's commercial department, Valery Tkachev, who explained the details of the changes in logistics costs that will come into effect in the near future.

According to Tkachev, the cost of rail transportation of grain at the beginning of 2024 was about $ 21 per ton, but in January 2025 it decreased to $ 13-14. This became possible due to the reduction in the cost of using grain wagons, where prices decreased from 1,600-1,700 hryvnias per day to 203-205 hryvnias due to the surplus of wagons on the market.

Nevertheless, Ukrzaliznytsia plans to index freight rates by 37%. This will mean an increase in transportation costs of only $4 per ton, bringing the total cost of transportation to $18 per ton. It is important to note that even after this increase in tariffs, the cost of transportation will remain significantly lower than the level observed before the war, when it exceeded $25 per ton.

Valery Tkachev emphasized that the increase in tariffs will not become a significant burden for farmers and agricultural producers. In the context of the constant increase in prices for energy and other resources, this step looks quite moderate and will not create an additional financial burden on farmers and agricultural enterprises.

Currently, the issue of indexing freight tariffs remains at the stage of coordination with government departments, such as the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development, as well as the Ministry of Economy. Since the tariff increase will not come into effect from February 1, 2025, enterprises and agricultural producers have time to adapt to the new conditions.

According to representatives of Ukrzaliznytsia, the decision on tariff indexation will be finally agreed with all stakeholders, and the company will continue to work on optimizing its services in order to minimize the impact on agricultural enterprises and maintain the competitiveness of Ukrainian agricultural products on international markets.