The war in Ukraine has speeded up the first shipment of grain this season out of the newly revamped Port of Oswego, reports WSKG.
More than 18,000 metric tons of soybeans grown in central New York is headed to Belgium and Ireland about a month ahead of schedule, in part because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“We were not really expecting a grain shipment until middle or late April. The whole idea of being the first grain ship out of the Great Lakes, that was a shocker," William Scriber, executive director of the Port of Oswego, told WSKG. “And that was all because of product demand. I don’t think product demand is going to subside this year.”
The Grain Export Center opened late last year and allows farmers to use cheaper water transportation to get their product to international markets.
